Of Emeralds and Golds
by tainted-angel21
Summary: No one knew of the many secrets Rumpelstiltskin kept hidden. Especially of his plans. Who ever knew what went on in his crazy head? But she did. She knew everything, then again she was one of his best kept secrets. Rumpelstiltskin/Mr.GoldXOC
1. An Interesting Deal Between Dealmakers

Hello Dear Readers! I got introduced to the wonderful world of Once Upon A Time like a week ago and finished watching it. I can;t help it, its an awesome show and creating havoc in my mind.

I am in love with Rumpelstiltskin, he is awesome. Like the wickedest of bad-asses. I just had to get him and his other alias Mr. Gold in a story and write it all out. I love his background and his past experiences, it makes him the man he is today. But a part of me seriously dislikes Belle. I find her very annoying for some reason. So I am writing an OC as usual.

I hope you like it and please do Review. Happy Reading!

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**Disclaimer: I do not own One Upon A Time... **

**Of Emeralds and Golds**

**Chapter One**

The night was dark and foreboding, with no moon in the sky, only the stars winking slightly from the black sky above; the perfect setting for such incidents. The winds whistled ever so slightly and so very sinisterly, there wasn't even a peep from any nocturnal animals or insects in the forest. The man who stood there confidently holding his torch, the only source of his light and warmth on such a night was very strange. Strange in the sense that where as any other man in his shoes would be panicking or at least be a nervous wreck, he never felt content standing there.

The tall man with the long wheat-ish blonde hair and rather good clothing decided that it was time and he felt the strongest pang of nostalgia for a second before he shook his head with a sardonic grin and called out loudly and clearly, "Rumpelstiltskin, I summon thee. I have a deal to strike with you, one that will interest you very much. Rumpelstiltskin, I call you to me."

He waited exactly three heart beats before he heard the sharpest snap of a twig to his left, but with a wry smirk the man looked to his right. He knew these tricks so very well. No matter where he looked though, everything was dark around him. But a sinister and very high pitched chuckle came from the direction he looked at.

Then he came forth, a man, well a beastly looking man with gold and brown sand looking skin, long brown matted hair, feral looking dark eyes, dark and chapped lips stretching into a monster's grin with sharp teeth and long fingers with claw like nails. There stood Rumpelstiltskin in his finest leather apparel. He bowed with a dramatic flourish and called out in his ominous voice that held equal amounts of persuasion, seduction and utter madness, "You bellowed?"

The man looked back at him with calculative emerald green eyes that reflected the fire from the torch he held. This was the Dark One and the most powerful of men were scared out of their minds in Rumpelstiltskin's presence, but this man, he wasn't scared. The appearance or the voice, none of it intimidated him in the least. Just because he wasn't intimidated by this dealmaker did not mean he forgot his manner. So he nodded his head in a slight greeting and answered, "Yes, I did, Rumpelstiltskin. I have a deal to make with you."

All the imp before him did was gasp dramatically and utter in his annoying high-pitched voice,  
"Oh!"

He jumped right in front of the man and sneered, "How the mighty have fallen! The great Talis asks a young dealmaker like myself for a deal? Did you not learn anything from your long stint as a Dark One?"

Talis was not even the least bit perturbed which only managed to make Rumpelstiltskin even more curious. Talis looked back at him with cold and unwavering eyes and answered, "I wish to make a deal with you, are you interested or not?"

Rumpelstiltskin leaned back and walked around with his hands clasped behind his back and asked childishly, "What does the great Talis desire? Not true love obviously, that is what freed you of course."

Rumpelstiltskin mock-pouted at him, "They say possessing the true love of one's life makes them the richest man in the world. What could the richest man in the world want from a dealmaker?"

Talis had been listening to his nonsensical drivel for entirely too long. He knew the need for such language and words; it was the way of dealmakers. To manipulate and push the desperate souls into foolishly making deals that would cost them dearly. He knew very well of such underhanded methods, he had used them after all for nearly eight hundred years. But tolerating these methods from Rumpelstiltskin at a moment such as this was getting too much on his nerves.

So Talis sneered back, "Why do you ask? Oh right, I forgot. Your sight cannot see my future, can it? I might have lost my magic and status as a Dark One but I still can make you blind to my future. Makes striking deals with me difficult, does it not?"

All the crazy light in Rumpelstiltskin's eyes and the glee on his face was instantly wiped off. He growled out, "No, but this does makes things interesting. So tell me, what do you want?"

Talis shook his head and answered, "I do not want anything. I want to strike a deal. I have something you want and I will give it to you for a price."

Rumpelstiltskin stared at him dumbfounded for a second or two and then he started giggling. The mad cackles echoing through the forest as he clutched his stomach tightly. After a few moments Rumpelstiltskin wheezed, "Oh that's a good one. I need a good laugh like that."

Talis tilted his head to the side and asked nonchalantly, "So I suppose you are not working on developing a very dark curse and you have no need for The Dark Book of Zoso's."

As expected, Rumpelstiltskin was immediately nose-to-nose with Talis and clutched his shirt with his claw like fingers as he snarled into his face, "How do you know about that?"

Talis calmly answered, "I know because I was a Dark One not too long ago. I have no desire of sharing this information with anybody. You may do whatever your dark heart desires, Rumpelstiltskin. What I am asking you is if you require the book I still possess. As you remember, this particular book I have to hand over to you as the magic demands it. From the hands of one owner to the other."

Rumpelstiltskin looked deceptively calm as he let go of his shirt and stepped back and asked, "What price do you want for that book?"

Talis looked into his eyes intensely and answered, "A child."

Rumpelstiltskin blinked once and then giggled, "A child? Back to the old games, Talis?"

Before Talis could reply, he jumped about with a flourish, almost looked like he was dancing a little, "A child you shall have then. The deal is…"

Talis interrupted coldly and firmly, "Not so fast, Rumpelstiltskin. This child I want, it cannot be just any child. I want a very particular child."

Rumpelstiltskin stopped right in his tracks and looked at him with a knowing grin, "As expected from a former dealmaker. You know too much about making deals. So tell me which child do you want?"

Talis breathed out softly and answered, "A healthy baby girl with my wife's hair and my eyes."

Rumpelstiltskin watched him for a few moments and then slowly a mad grin slipped onto his lips as he giggled, "What an interesting deal you make, Talis! Have you seen this babe yet?"

Talis answered with a challenging grin which was very much reminiscent of his old crazy grin, "I have not seen her yet, but I am sure you can find me the child. A baby girl with black hair and green eyes of sound health."

Rumpelstiltskin giggled loudly and stalked towards the blonde man and offered a hand to shake, Talis looked into his eyes and shook his hand firmly. Rumpelstiltskin whispered ominously, "The deal is struck then."

With that he disappeared leaving Talis in the forest alone. He stood there for a while, waiting for the owls to start hooting again, the crickets to start crying, the rats to start scurrying, and the winds to blow soundlessly. After a while Talis closed his eyes tiredly and whispered softly, "It has started then."

A musical whisper that was carried by the winds reached his ears, "Yes, it has, Talis. You shall meet her soon and everything has been set in motion. Sleep without a worry for this night, you deserve it."

Talis nodded wordlessly and turned back and walked back home. To his depressed wife sleeping on their bed alone and with a hope burning in him that soon there would that beautiful smile back on his true love's lips and the light would be back in her pretty brown eyes. She needed to wait for a little while longer and then everything would be fine and they would be truly happy. For the next two decades at least.


	2. The Banshee Spawn and Voice In The Winds

Hello Readers! Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it. Please Review. Happy Reading!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time...

Of Emeralds and Golds

Chapter Two

Rumpelstiltskin actually was a man, well an imp of his word. He always kept his side of the bargain even if the other side tried to cheat him. Well, when they did cheat him or even try, those were rather fun times too. But before all of that, he liked tempting those desperate souls with what they wanted most and then he took from them more than they could give. It was all business and a neat one at that. Give and take.

This was the first time though, when the whole process was going the other way around. This time someone was offering him something, tempting him and asking for a price in return. He snorted; it wasn't a very costly price to him at all. Not the first time someone asked for a child from him. But to be that specific about a child, my my, Talis certainly was very demanding. Then again, it was to be expected from a former Dark One.

Talis was called That Dark One though after his grand sacrifice. The fool gave up all his power for a girl he fell in love with, but that was after he got almost killed by a dragon. Oh yes, he went to slay a dragon for the stupid girl, the girl wasn't even that pretty and he did not even ask for a price for slaying the dragon. What kind of a dealmaker was he?

Regardless, Talis asked for something very small and was going to give him something big in return. Rumpelstiltskin thought it was a good deal, so he went off in his search for that child. He searched and waited and looked for three months.

Every desperate soul that he came across or called upon him, he looked into their children, none of them was a baby girl with black hair and green eyes. Either one was too old, or too sickly, or eyes that weren't the right green, or hair that was more brown than the right shade of black, and each and every time he did find a child, he had to reject it and start searching all over again. The more time passed the more frustrated and determined he got. This was a simple deal there was no way in hell he was going to back down from completing his end of the bargain, especially when some like That Dark One challenged him. So he searched through villages and villages and finally he came upon his desperate soul with the baby.

There was a merchant, a greedy merchant who was going through a very rough time. Business was going through awful times and he was desperate. He was a drunk and a very awful man with an awful temper to match, his previous wife had died, fell down a flight of stairs, funny though her bruises told a different tale. To make things worse his new and very young wife was pregnant and she was very sickly. He already had five daughters from his late wife, and not a single son. He did not want one more useless mouth to feed. He was hoping his new wife would give him a son that he truly deserved.

The night his wife went into labor, Rumpelstiltskin was nearby, he had a very strong feeling, he giggled madly, call him intuitive if you will, but that was the babe he was searching for and after a lot of screaming and long hours, a very loud cry was heard throughout the house. The merchant was in the local pub drinking himself silly as usual, so when the midwife sent word for him, he stumbled home to see the face of his new son. To the merchant's utter disappointment and rage, it was another girl. He barged into the room his wife lay resting in to yell at her. The woman, his useless wife had died on him. He was already drunk and so very angry.

He yelled and screamed and cursed his newborn child. He almost threw away the midwife physically out of his house who was so very scared that the man would strangle the newborn babe. The midwife was a little worried though; the child had not yet to make a sound after her first cry. All this yelling was not disturbing the babe at all, maybe she was deaf, the midwife wondered. But the merchant would not let her stay around even for a moment to check on the babe.

So the midwife left with her payment and hearing the merchant throwing around things and yelling such horrible things. He wanted to throw the babe away, cursing his wives and then he was drunkenly babbling about his loss in the business. That was when Rumpelstiltskin came in and offered him a deal, a successful business for ten years in exchange for the babe girl. The foolish man of course agreed immediately handing him the baby girl, even offering his other daughters. Rumpelstiltskin had sneered, what use had he with such useless daughters of a drunken merchant? He just wanted the babe. Stupid man thought Rumpelstiltskin after the man signed the deal, just because he would have a successful business for ten years did not mean the business would remain successful after the ten years ended.

Rumpelstiltskin was giggling madly and in utter triumph as he stalked into the woods with the small baby wrapped in a blanket in his arms. He got her and soon he would get that book and start working on the curse. His mind was hyper with his ambition, he stopped for a moment. Thinking things through. That was when the bundle in his arms squirmed just a little and a slight coo was heard.

He looked down and moved the blanket away to finally have a look at the babe who had made him go through such a long chase to obtain her. She was very pink, like all babies were, and her lips were pouty and her nose very tiny. She had lots of silky soft pitch black hair on her little head, he smirked evilly, just the right shade of black that hair was. She wouldn't open her eyes, Rumpelstiltskin scowled.

He knew her eyes were green, but still he needed to see it. No need to take even the slightest chance to be humiliated in the eyes of the great Talis. She still kept her eyes shut. Stubborn baby. He tickled her soft delicate pink cheek with a finger, she scrunched up her nose, but did not open her eyes. He frowned and then called out softly, "Dearie, you better open those pretty eyes of yours or old Rumpelstiltskin is going to be very mad. And trust me, you do not want to see a mad Rumpelstiltskin."

The baby pursed her lips and scrunched her nose once more and there was even a little frown between her eyes, Rumpelstiltskin was sure she would open her eyes, so he waited gleefully. He waited for ten heartbeats. Then he scowled blackly, the stubborn thing didn't open her eyes at all. She wasn't deaf, she was reacting to his words after all. He could use his magic on her, but then she would not be a baby of sound health, touched by magic, that would be a deal breaker for someone like Talis.

He sighed and continued to stare at the babe, waiting for her to open her eyes. He decided to bribe her, like all the humans, she must be greedy as well. So he told her slyly, "You open your eyes now, dearie and I shall feed you honeyed milk. You must be hungry. Go on, open your eyes."

He waited, she didn't even move a muscle. She was lying in his arms, utterly content. He grunted, silly baby, sleeping in an imp's arms, had she not sense of danger or self-preservation?

He shook her a little in his arms, again, no difference. Finally he had the cleverest idea. He decided to appeal to her feminine nature. No woman could resist compliments and flattery and she was a woman, only a very, very small one. So he cleared his throat and said charmingly, "Oh please my beautiful little lady, open your beautiful eyes and look upon me, show me the erm…heaven in your breathtaking eyes. If you don't, then I uh…am afraid I may perish with sorrow, I think."

Being charming and flattering a babe was one of the most awkward things he had the misfortune of doing. But would you believe it? The baby, she blew air through her tiny pink lips and scrunched up her little nose and then parted her eyelids for the smallest of a fraction and then closed them again. She did it a few times and Rumpelstiltskin waited with his breath held in, she finally opened her eyes. They were truly beautiful. Such a vibrant green, and quite unnatural for such a newborn. But she had those eyes and she kept them focused on him. Unwavering green eyes stared at him, not even the least bit scared.

Rumpelstiltskin stared into her eyes for the longest time he felt. She might be a child untouched by magic but there was something magical about her. As if she held all sorts of fire in her. He was stumped for a moment; he could not see her future at all. It was blurry. He sneered as he kept his eyes on her, she would be Talis' child soon, that was what must be clouding her future from his sight. She was a clever little thing though, he could tell by the way she was staring at him. He was just about to make a comment about how stubborn she was when it happened.

Her pouty little lips turned down into a little frown and she squirmed a little in his arms and then she opened her mouth. The devil take her, she had the most vicious and painful weapon in her arsenal, this babe. She screamed and screamed and screamed, unfaltering and loudly. Rumpelstiltskin's whole body trembled for a moment and he almost dropped her. He hissed at her, and started hushing her and rocking her, but she did not stop. She kept on screaming, not a tear in sight but she kept on screaming.

He wondered if she was in pain, but that did not seem to be it. He viciously shook her to shut her up, but she got louder. His ears were hurting and a spiking headache was building up right behind his eyes. Why would she not shut up? She was a horrible baby. His vicious mind cackled, let the great Talis deal with this spawn of demon; after all he did exactly what the deal held him to. This was the baby Talis wanted, not his fault if the baby is a human equivalent to a demon spawn.

All the birds flew away as the baby screamed and screamed. How could a small thing like that make such loud noise? She could beat a banshee. Why wasn't she tired already, wasn't she a baby who sleep all the time? Why wasn't her throat hurting already? He walked faster with her in his arms, if she kept this infernal screaming up then he was sure an angry mob would surely start chasing him. Not that a mob of any size or of any amount of rage could hurt him. He was The Rumpelstiltskin.

He scowled at the babe, her face was scrunched up and red as she kept on screaming without stopping. He wanted to muffle her mouth with his hand, but that might suffocate her. He groaned in utter pain, his poor ears. They had started to ring slightly. The sooner he handed this banshee spawn over to Talis, the sooner he could go as far away as possible from this screaming.

Moments later he let his magic take over him and he appeared in the forest where he had that meeting with Talis. He growled threateningly at the babe as she continued screaming and he practically ran with her towards the clearing where he was hoping Talis would be, if not he would track the bastard's house and dump the baby and snatch the book and just leave.

This time he could not sneak upon Talis, hell he couldn't do anything, the screaming was warning everyone miles away of a banshee arriving. He walked in the clearing and saw Talis standing there, tall and proud and so utterly relaxed. Not a hint of emotion on his cold face. Not happiness over the babe, or nervousness over his appearance, nothing. Talis merely stood there regarding him with cold green eyes the same shade as the demon spawn's glinting fire in the light of the torch he held.

Rumpelstiltskin snarled and flew right into his face and smiled maliciously, "Here, oh great Talis. Take your baby. Black hair and green eyes, a healthy baby girl, congratulations."

He practically threw the baby into Talis' arms and Talis although unprepared, caught the baby with a single arm and held her to himself with great care. Rumpelstiltskin was just about to snarl out for his payment, but what happened next made his jaw drop. There were very little things left in the world that surprised him, but this was clearly one.

All Talis did was hold the squirming bundle to his chest with one arm and suddenly, everything was quiet. The demon spawn shut up. Rumpelstiltskin huffed with disbelief and then scowled. What did he do make her stop?

He growled at the slightly smiling blonde, "How did you make her stop?"

Talis shrugged and answered, "I did nothing."

Rumpelstiltskin shook his head violently and asked coldly, "No, you did something. She wouldn't stop before. Which spell did you cast on her?"

Talis blinked once and then answered nonchalantly, "No spell, but I did smile at her. Maybe she is a sucker for pretty smiles, who knows?"

Rumpelstiltskin glared at the bundle in the other man's arm. Stupid babe, tried to torture him, did she? He would one day make her pay for that. She just didn't know it yet. He sneered and then looked back at Talis and smirked evilly and asked in his usual flamboyance and asked, "There is now the small matter of my payment, Talis."

Talis nodded once and them bent down and put the torch on the ground. Carefully maneuvering around the baby held by his arm, he took out the old musty book somewhere out from his cloak. Then he held it out and spoke clearly and loudly, "I, Talis hand this book over to thee, Rumpelstiltskin."

Suddenly there was the briefest and palest of light that flashed from the book. Rumpelstiltskin walked over to the other man and stood a little farther away, then with a quick glare at the bundle in his arm, Rumpelstiltskin plucked the book and jumped away. Talis blinked and asked, "Is there something wrong, Rumpelstiltskin?"

Rumpelstiltskin opened the book with a flourish, flipped through a few pages and then looked back at him, his face arranged to look like a grinning devil. Then he cackled madly and answered back, "No problem at all, dearie. I believe the only problem is in your arm right now. Good luck with her."

The next moment he was gone. Talis sighed and then with both of his hands, he held the warm, squirming and cooing bundle closer to his chest. He peered into the bundle and stared. He smiled softly and whispered, "I believe I just fell in love all over again. Hello, daughter mine, from this night forth you are the joy of my life and I will try my best to be the man who could deserve you as a father."

He watched her captivated, as she blinked at him with eyes that he saw everyday in the mirror, and then she cooed at him softly. He touched her soft cheek with his calloused finger tip, she was so fragile and he swore that he would try his best to make sure she was always protected. She was watching him with the same rapt attention. He hugged her closer and gasped when her small hand grasped his finger into a tiny fist. He smiled proudly; his daughter was a strong little thing.

The musical voice in the wind whispered in his ear, "You daughter is beautiful, That Dark One."

He whispered back, not taking his eyes of the babe who was now pursing her lips at him, "She is. I am a lucky man, a beautiful wife and now a beautiful daughter."

The voice suggested, "You must raise her in the manner that would make her a match for him. She must possess all the qualities and skills that she will need in her perilous future. She must be prepared."

Talis frowned and stated stubbornly, "I will not raise her as a good little soldier. She is my daughter. She will be raised with love and support. I will raise her as I would raise any of the children I had sired and in no manner different. Just because she has a destiny, she will have to complete certain tasks and face dangers, or the matter that she is no of my own blood, makes no difference to me."

The voice was silent for a few moments and Talis wondered if he had offended them. But who cared? He was right and he would not regret that, damn them and their purposes. Nothing mattered when it came to his family. The voice said, "Well answered, Talis. For those very reasons you were chosen to be her father. She will be a very happy and fortunate child with you as her father."

Talis hummed a little to his daughter, who looked a little drowsy. The voice asked, "What shall you name your daughter, Talis?"

Talis answered softly, "As if you don't already know. You are the one who sends me all those visions."

The voice persisted, "That does not mean you do not have a choice. You could change things just as easily now."

Talis snorted, "I don't think so. That would change everything. But all I can tell you now is that her mother will name her. Nora gets to pick our daughter's name."

The voice whispered, "Good decision. Women are better at naming children then men."

Talis chuckled a little wickedly, "Answered like a woman would."

The voice huffed a little and commented, "She is a clever little thing, your daughter."

Talis smirked proudly, "Smart as a whip, my daughter is. Did you see how she scared the devil out of Rumpelstiltskin back then?"

The voice warned a little gravely, "He will be back for her, you know."

Talis answered nonchalantly, "I know, I have seen it, remember? Besides, it's in her destiny. She will be prepared by the time he shows up and he won't know what hit him. I will make sure of that."

The voice whispered, "You are not worried, Talis?"

Talis snorted, "I am the one who left the loop hole on purpose in the contract. I know these things, was a dealmaker before, remember? I told him I want a child, a particular child. I did not specify for how long I get to keep her. I never said I want her as my daughter. He can come back after a few years and take her very easily."

The voice asked, "Why are you not vexed about it? I expected you to be very upset about that."

Talis answered, bending to pick up the torch with one arm, holding it away from the baby, "Because I know Rumpelstiltskin. He won't be back for a child. He has no patience for them as you have seen. He will be back in twenty years or so, long after my daughter has grown up. By then things will change very drastically."

The voice complimented, "You have very sound thinking."

Talis smirked, "Isn't that why you picked me?"

He started walking back through the forest. He made his way back home, to his warm hut holding the sleeping babe tight to his chest. He knew that by now his wife must have woken up and pacing back and forth in front of the fire place worrying herself sick because of her missing husband. He smiled as he thought how big a surprise she was about to get.

The voice whispered one final time for the night in his ear, "You were right though. Your daughter did scare the ghost out of Rumpelstiltskin. Good girl, your daughter is."

Talis couldn't help it and started chuckling loudly as he walked on.


	3. Mama, Papa, A Little Girl and A Horse

Hello Readers! Here is the next chapter and while this chapter the next few might not have our beloved goblin Rumpelstiltskin in them, these chapters are developing the entire plot of the story and introducing you to Talis, Nora and their darling daughter.

I really hope you will like my new characters. Please Review and Happy Reading!

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time...**

**Of Emeralds and Golds**

**Chapter Three**

"Mama, would you be very much angry if I brought home a pet?"

Came the sweetest voice of the village's little fairy. Well not a real fairy but people liked to call her so because she looked as pretty as one. Everyone loved her, well mostly because she did things that made them love her. She made sure they loved her. She looked at her mother, an equally sweet woman and the one she tried to imitate in every way that she could. The mother, Nora was the daughter of the late blacksmith of the village and currently the wife of the new blacksmith, Talis.

Now Talis wasn't always a blacksmith. He had an interesting past. The first time Nora met Talis, he had grey scaly skin and pitch black eyes and dirty grease-y blonde hair. But that did not mean he was ugly or something of a monster, no not at all, he looked that way because he was given a lot of dark power. He was one of those people, The Dark Ones. He used to make deals with people, desperate people, grant them their most desperate wishes in exchange for a payment that was very costly to them. Nora herself was one of those desperate souls and was in tears when she had asked for her wish from him.

Her father was dying and she had asked for The Dark One to extend her father's life. He did so, but at a price, he asked her to be his servant, to obey his every command and leave her father, village and life behind to reside with him in his hidden manor. She did so immediately. What happened next was what happened in most tales mothers told their children.

The Dark One was a very cold and cruel man. He made Nora's life very difficult, but Nora was built of sterner stuff than most other girls. She did not shed one tear whenever he was deliberately cruel to her. She kept on thinking to herself, no one is born evil; they are made evil by the things that happen in their lives. The Dark One was cruel to her with harsh words, but he did not do all the sinister things he could so easily do to her. He had honor in him which he kept very well hidden. So she took it upon herself to find out and reach to the real him.

For the next few years that she spent with him, she did her very best to befriend him and understand him, after all he was a very lonely man. Even when he berated her or rebuffed her attempts, she persisted. A few months of her persistence, cheerful demeanor, beautiful smile and that sharp wit, she wore him down and they became friends.

It took a full year for the Dark One to realize that he was in love with his pretty and lively servant, Nora knew for sure she was in love with the man when he permitted her to visit her father for a whole day every few months on the condition she come right back to him. The man was nervous and so sure that once she left she wouldn't come back. When she returned from her first visit to her father, she found him utterly distraught and drunk out of his mind, moaning about how everyone leaves him. She swore that day that she would never leave him.

Talis and Nora's tale was a tale of legends, something that would be remembered for centuries to come and told by one generation to the other. But for now they were simply Talis the blacksmith and his wife Nora of the Village of Black Dragon Lake. They were happy to live their happily ever after in this quiet and cozy life. None knew of Talis' past except the villagers and the new generations were not told a single word of it, Talis was revered as the village hero and sort of a village leader since it was he who had saved the whole village from a dragon.

She had seen and experienced things that were far too adventurous and in some manners very sad as well, like how her father almost died and made her so desperate she sold herself to a dark magician, how she fell in love with said magician and bore all his temper tantrums and bouts of depression, then the love of her life left her, her father's death, her starting over her life all over again and this time utterly alone, then the horrid attack of the dragon, watching the love of her life return to die painfully, sacrificing his life for her's and finally after she thought she had her happily ever after learning the fact that she could never have a child of her own. She had the same sickness as her father, so having a child was not an option for her at all. But like always, the love of her life came through for her. He brought home a child for her. A child who was abandoned and would have a perilous future, but she was their child. Their beautiful and precocious daughter and she loved her with all her heart.

That dark night Nora had tossed around in her bed and found herself cold; her warm bed-mate and husband was missing. For a few hours, she paced frantically in front of her fire place waiting for either the daytime or for him to return. She had already searched throughout her house, her backyard, her stable and her husband's workshop. She even searched his secret library in the attic. He was nowhere to be found, which meant he was out for some business of his and would be back soon, or she had to ask her neighbors for a thorough search when daylight broke. She worried and fretted. She even muttered obscenities under her breath about how her husband should have had enough sense to inform her beforehand about his outing. He was a being of magic even after he lost all his powers, so actions such as this was expected of him, but that did not mean he could just do as he pleased. He really should have told her where he was going.

Finally when she did hear the footsteps of her husband and him entering the house, she flew towards him planning on both hugging him tight and berating him. She stopped short just a few more footsteps from her tall husband, rather the small bundle he was holding stopped her short.

For the longest time she did not even want to believe her eyes. She had stood there like a statue, clutching her hand tightly to her mouth to muffle her little sobs and her eyes were crying rivers. Her husband just stood there with a bright smile and let her get used to it. When she had with some difficulty managed to control herself, she stumbled towards him. Her husband had said softly, "Won't you welcome our daughter home, Nora? She needs her mama, I reckon, there just are some things fathers are no good at handling, one of them being feeding the little one. I don't know what little ones like her eat. Gods, I am an awful father, help me out here please, wife mine."

She had sobbed and laughed at the same time when she had held her daughter for the first time. That night Talis and Nora did not sleep a wink, they were too mesmerized by their little miracle. Nora to this date was still amazed at how much her little daughter looked like them. She looked at her little joy, she stood there with her flowing curls of black hair the same shiny black as Nora's own hair and burning emerald eyes that were reflections of Talis' eyes.

Talis had told her everything that he had been hiding for a few years now, the dreams, the whispers in the wind, the future, about their daughter and her destiny. Nora had cried buckets that week, and finally when Talis was sure that his wife would help him none at all in this laborious quest, Nora had announced proudly, "You cannot expect a hero's daughter to be simple, my love. She is her father's daughter; she will be a bigger hero than her father. She will make us both proud."

Talis had uncharacteristically enough, jumped with joy and swooped both his women in his arms. Nora had sworn that she might not teach her daughter much about fighting, spells, magic and all those other things, but she would teach her daughter all the other things a mother should teach her daughter. Nora had looked at Talis who was a child unloved by his stepmother and knew nothing of maternal love and swore that she would give Talis' child all the love in the whole world. Nora knew there was a small part of Talis which feared that she would not accept another's child as her own just like his stepmother did; especially a child who was to be raised so differently from all the other children and practically raised to be the sacrifice to fulfill a destiny and save the world.

Talis had asked Nora to name their babe. Said it was her right to name the child. Nora had thought about it for not even the briefest moment and named her baby girl. The name made Talis speechless for a moment even though he knew what she was going to name her from his dreams. It was one thing to experience it in a dream but an entirely different thing when he was wide awake. His darling wife had named their daughter after the baby sister he once had who died of a fever when he was young.

It took Talis a few months to see how much his love loved the child. Talis always chuckled whenever he heard Nora secretly telling her baby that in the future she was not to get hurt too much, running when things got too hot was not a bad thing and it was called tactical retreat. Being too noble and too honorable was a stupid thing to do and most battles could be very easily won by brains alone. Talis loved eavesdropping on the little inspirational speeches his wife gave to his daughter. He always had to muffle his mouth when he heard her tell the attentive baby about how her father was and how to handle his stubborn personality.

The baby was a special thing though; she very rarely cried or got sick. She laughed a lot and liked to coo at everything. Her eyes were always watching her surroundings with rapt attention. Nora always thought that that was a sign of how her daughter would be the smartest little girl in the entire kingdom.

There was one afternoon when Nora had been cooking and the baby was sitting in a basket, the child loved sitting inside that large basket for some odd reason, Nora had very absentmindedly and very much out of habit called out lovingly, "What is Mama's little girl doing?"

What Nora heard next made her drop a pot full of hot stew all over the floor in shock, a musical voice chirping out clearly, "Mama come play!"

The voice had come out of the large basket and there was a six month old black haired green eyed baby peering out and smiling brightly at a shocked mama. Nora had spent the entire afternoon and evening doing not a single household work, she had spent all her time with her baby in her lap. They were pointing at all sorts of things and naming them and talking about things.

Talis came home, a little tired but very happy that evening. He was carrying the axe that their neighbor had borrowed and returned, when he was just about to yell out his usual, "I am home." A loud cheer interrupted him and he dropped the axe just inches away from his foot.

"Papa come home!"

He stood there stuttering like a fool while his wife stood there with his daughter in her arm and said wife was smiling like an imp. This was something he had not seen in his dreams and he swore he heard a familiar whisper in the wind chuckling at him. He knew his daughter would be a very smart one, but he did not know that she would be so advanced to talk at the mere age of six months. That night the couple ate fruits and bread since his wife was too busy talking with his daughter to cook them anything. The next few months they had a baby always talking with them in the sweetest voice ever. Also they learnt that their baby had the most insatiable curiosity and asked questions, seemingly unending questions about everything. Sometimes it left Nora harassed, sometimes it left Talis harassed, other times it made Talis puff out his chest proudly and mostly left Nora smiling at her bright child.

It had always upset the early rising baby when her papa left for work without her. She was always a bit sad about it, but the surprise came when she had stood on unsteady legs and started stumbling after her father who was walking out the door. It was Nora's surprised gasp of his name that turned him around, he stood there in shock as his eight months old baby girl walking on unsteady legs and unsteady balance towards him. That day Talis was very late to work; he was busy watching his daughter walk to and fro between her mother and him. That night Talis had taken the baby up to his special and hidden work room despite his wife's slight protestation. He checked his daughter and found to his surprise, the baby was very much advanced than most children simply because she had a great aptitude for magic.

A few years passed and the couple frequently got surprised by their daughter. The little girl, ever since she was a baby showed so many of both her parents' traits and personalities. She had her mother's kindness and open heart, her father's temperament and skepticism, her mother's love for dancing, her father's love for animals, her love for all things sweet came from her mother, the sly trait of talking through rough situations from her father, the desire to help around the house from her mother, the love for tree climbing and all the high places from her father, the love for books and her curiosity came from both her parents. From a very young age, since she was so very clever and could remember and understand everything, Talis took it to teach her many things about magic, nothing practical, but mostly from simple texts and books. Nora was the one who taught her daughter to read, write and love story books. It amazed Nora sometimes that the little girl was so much like them even though she did not share their blood.

Nora was very happy as she looked at her little girl as she asked her question. Nora smiled; it was common for her daughter to bring home little hurt birds she found. She answered sweetly without looking from the potatoes she was peeling, "Darling, if the animal is hurt, you know you are supposed to take it to the stable. Your Papa will help you with it when he gets back, but I cannot allow you to keep it as a pet without talking to your Papa."

Her daughter pouted a little and then fidgeted with one of the buttons on her tunic and then said softly, "But Mama, Ciardha is my friend and I met him in the forest and he says he is mine. He cannot leave me. Please come and meet him and then let him stay."

Nora looked at her daughter with confusion. What was she talking about? One thing that Nora had learnt from raising this little girl was that, never question her when she was saying something that made little sense. Just ask her to show it to you.

If this was some pet she had to keep and she asked if it would make her very much angry, then it most definitely was something very big she was going to ask of Nora. Nora steeled herself immediately for a shock she was about to receive. Nora whimpered a little on the inside as she prayed; please do not let this Ciardha be an injured man. She stood up and followed her daughter outside to the backyard. Her daughter giddily led her outside by the hand.

Nora gasped as soon as she saw it and froze in fear. That was not a normal animal. It couldn't be a normal animal at all. It was big, and seemed taller than her husband who was a very tall man. It was darker than night and she clutched at her throat, it had bright yellow eyes which were watching her intensely. It looked like a horse, a very huge horse, but it couldn't be, decided Nora.

Her daughter looked at her with her innocent eyes and sweet smile. She was not scared at all. Did she not understand there was a monster of a horse behind their house? She happily explained, "Mama, meet Ciardha. Ciardha was waiting for me in the forest last week, near the river. I have been visiting him and we became such good friends. Oh yes, that's right, silly me. Ciardha told me to tell you that he is different than other horses. He can talk to me, you see and only I get to hear him. He says he is meant to be mine. He is so nice, can we keep him Mama? Please?"

She stared at the horse that was staring right back at her with his strange eyes and waiting for her answer and then at her pleading daughter who was chiming again and again tugging on her now cold hand, "Mama, please, please, please! I promise I will take care of him."

Nora blinked and with a dry throat managed to stammer out nervously, "Th-this horse talks, you say."

She clapped her little hands and excitedly explained with the innocence of the five year old that she was, "Oh Mama! Call him Ciardha. He doesn't like being called a horse. He says he is to serve me and I am his master. Isn't that silly? I told him it was silly and told him that I am his friend. He talks and his voice is like Ronald the baker's. Oh and he is magic too, Mama."

Nora sighed tiredly. Her daughter really needed to stop surprising her, or at least leave the surprises for her father to deal with. Then she became angry at her husband. He was supposed to warn her ahead before things like this happened; he was the one with the foresight after all. Oh he was going to get an earful when he got home. She steamed a little, no, he would be sleeping in the stables tonight.

Then, she told her daughter with her hands on her hips, that was her scolding voice the one that implied do-not-test-my-patience-at-all-little-girl, her daughter gulped in fear, "You little lady, will take your Ciardha to the stable and leave him there. If he misbehaves, it is on your head. Then you shall come right back into the house and help me with dinner."

Before her daughter could jump up and down with joy over keeping the monster of a horse, Nora added very sternly, "No, this does not mean you get to keep him, magic or no magic! Also, no more playing in the forest, is that understood?"

She pouted and looked at the floor and seemed very much admonished. But the thing with the little girl was that, she could look so and not be it at all. That she got from her husband. Nora tapped her foot impatiently on the ground and asked, "Understood or not, Fallon?"

At her name the girl sheepishly looked up and answered softly and with a pout, "Yes, Mama. No more playing in the forest."

Nora nodded and then looked at the beast. Nora huffed, she had faced a dragon before, hell she lived with That Dark One for years; she was not going to be intimidated by this over-grown horse, magic or no magic. She looked right back at the horse and told him tightly, "You will behave yourself under my roof, is that understood, horse?"

The horse to her amazement nodded his huge head and breathed at her loudly. Fallon answered almost inaudibly, "He says, he will be on his best behavior!"

Nora raised an eyebrow at her daughter and said softly but exasperatedly, "At least someone knows how to behave. Now off you go, make your friend comfortable."

Fallon nodded and stared walking off, but her mother called out, "We will have a talk with your father this evening Fallon, be prepared for that."

Fallon walked away faster, the beastly horse following behind her to the stables. Fallon huffed; she would be in so much trouble this evening. Her Papa would in trouble as well, maybe more than her since she heard her Mama mutter about wanting to give him a piece of her mind. Whenever her Mama gave her Papa a piece of her mind, her Papa was in big trouble. Papa knew, but did not tell her Mama about Ciardha.

She whispered to Ciardha, "I will try to sneak you come carrots later on."

Ciardha looked at her with his unblinking yellow eyes; she heard a husky voice say modestly, "Little Fallon needs not trouble herself for Ciardha. Your Mama is already angry at you. My mother is like your mother as well, I understand. I do not eat much and am not hungry, so please no need to trouble yourself."

Fallon whispered, "Silly, Ciardha. I know that. I will bring you the carrots as treats, I know you like them so well. You eat treats because they are so tasty not because you are hungry. Papa sneaks me sweets before dinner all the time. I think all Mamas get angry like that. Papa says Mamas get angry to show how much they love and worry for their children."

The black steed nodded and answered, "He is right. Your Papa is a very smart man."

Fallon giggled, "Yes, Papa is very smart, but even that won't help him with Mama tonight. Papa will be sleeping with you in the stable tonight, I just know it."

The black horse blinked at her and then sighed, it seemed that men everywhere were the same, and the women were the same as well. He looked forward to meeting little Fallon's Papa and the great Talis.


	4. A Father's Worries, A Comforting Whisper

Hello Readers! Here is the next chapter, I do hope you like it. Although this one has more to say about Talis than our beloved imp, and I do hope that you get some insight on Talis and Fallon too, I suppose.

Please Review and Happy Reading!

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time...**

**Of Emeralds and Golds**

**Chapter Four**

It was almost dawn, the sun wasn't almost there yet, but the crimson reds and the lavenders, dark blues, oranges, pinks and the slightest of grays were already brewing in the sky amongst the fluffy white clouds. It was a cold morning and the trees were Talis' only companion as he waited in the backyard of his house. His backyard was an interesting thing; it led to the forests after all. He liked it and most importantly, his late wife loved it.

As a child she liked wandering around in the forest, something that their daughter has unknowingly inherited from her. Talis always had to bite his tongue and not tease his wife about being a hypocrite when she was scolding their daughter about the dangers of her walks in the forest. He was a smart man and knew how to pick his battles, if he did tease her, well he would have had to sleep in the stable with that huge beast of horse and his own horse. While the beast did not smell, his own horse did.

His wife also liked to stay at a distance from all the other villagers, their closest neighbor was a long walk away. This morning he was sitting on the grass and waiting for a rider to appear through the trees in the forest.

He sighed and was immediately lost in his thoughts, nothing unusual for the blacksmith. After the passing of his wife, this was a very common thing for him to do. He was almost always lost in his memories, either from his own past or the ones from his constant dreams.

It was the whisper in the winds which broke him out of his daze, "Early morning for you, is it Talis?"

Talis answered gruffly, "A simple good morning would have sufficed, but if you did you wouldn't be the all-knowing voice in the winds, now would you?"

The whisper returned, "Always with your cynicism, Talis! One would think with your visions and the tasks you perform, you would have had developed at least a little optimism and faith by now."

Talis snorted, "With the visions that you show me, how in the hells could you expect me to have faith and optimism? Does the vision of curses, monsters, evil witches and death upon death inspire faith and optimism in anyone?"

The whisper volleyed back passionately, "This is what I am referring to. Why do you always and only see the bad parts? Why not the instances where you daughter stops the curses, escapes death, protects people, thwarts all things evil, brings abundant amounts of hope and brings light to the darkest of creatures? Why not think about the great things your daughter will accomplish? Do you not have even a lick of faith in her?"

Talis answered coldly, "My daughter is not an invincible hero. She is a person like everyone else; she can get hurt and can die. Seeing their child escape death is not a thing any parent would want to see. The thought of her being so close to death is punishment enough. It chills my heart every time I see her facing these dangers. Being optimistic will only make me reckless and stupidly blind to all the precautions I should take for her. If she makes the slightest of mistakes or neglects something she dies, but if I make the slightest of wrong decision, or not teach her something, I kill her.

I have faith in her, but I do not like what fate has in store for her. I am doing all I can to give her a good future, I am making her sacrifice herself essentially for the well being of the whole realm, I am manipulating her and the worst thing is that she knows it and she lets me do so. She is choosing this path of destiny knowing all that this path will lead her to and while I am proud of her, I feel like scum for not being able to give her all the things a girl like her desires for. A normal life, a happy danger-free life, a normal husband who loves her and children!"

The whisper was quiet for a long time and then sighed, "You are not making her do anything, Talis. Worry yourself sick like this will not stop any of this. The guilt will kill you. You know very well that no matter where she went she would have the same life, but with terrible consequences for herself. She would be very ill-prepared for her future and could find herself in only doom. You are giving her a very happy life, only your upbringing will give her that bright future."

Talis remained quiet. The whisper continued, "If all those years ago, you had not sacrificed your life for your Nora and the village by facing death with the dragon, you wouldn't be this person, this hero you are today. If you had decided not to ask for little Fallon after seeing all the trouble she would bring you in your dreams, Fallon would not be born then and born years later on. She would be born to a shepherd and be called Anna. A shepherd who would face a dragon, kill it and become known as a dragon slayer. He would marry and have a pair of twin sons and then a daughter. The sons would never be separated. A king would not have a son, Rumpelstiltskin would not make a deal with the shepherd to save his family from poverty, but after years, he would make a deal with the Anna's eldest brother to make him a knight in exchange for his sister, he becomes Ser James, the brave, dragon slaying hero of the kingdom.

Anna would be unprepared and so very naïve. Rumpelstiltskin would take her away. He would break her and ruin her, dissolving every little hope she had in her and it would not be a difficult task, she would be a fire-less girl. Because she would be weak as a person, she would be insecure, bitter and so whiny. She would be hell bent on escaping Rumpelstiltskin and avoiding anything dangerous. She would be a coward. Later she would always try to change Rumpelstiltskin even resort to helping the evil Queen to save herself. She would not ever truly love anyone other than herself.

Her other brother would kill James in vengeance for selling their sister and then to escape the death penalty impersonates James and he would later find Snow White in a forest and their story would be so very different. He would forever hate Rumpelstiltskin and the evil Queen would hold his sister Anna over his head. If you didn't decide to have little Fallon as your daughter, all of that would have happened and you would have had a quiet life with your Nora, free from all the troubles and worries. You chose to love a child and care for her, teach her and support her, give her a happy family instead of just saying no and moving on. You, Talis are not scum."

Talis was once again lost in his thoughts, after a while he merely says, "Fallon is my daughter; I would shield her from the whole world and all its dangers and troubles if I could."

The whisper asks, "Did Rumpelstiltskin do something to her in your vision last night?"

Talis gritted his teeth and for a few moments looked eerily like the previous persona he had, That Dark One, and he sneered, "I wish I could drown him in a huge tub of boiling oil!"

The whisper said a bit confusedly, "But that would not drown him, that would burn him beyond recognition from the inside-out or rather the outside-in!"

Talis sighed irritated, "I said it to exaggerate the amount of the oil!"

The whisper merely said, "Oh!"

Then after a few more moments, "What did he do to her?"

Talis answered as monotonously as he could, "He keeps on leering at my little girl. He says horrible things to her, very lewd things and does things to her as well. Well, he tries to, but she always escapes him."

The whisper said softly, trying to comfort Talis, "No father wants to see their daughters being treated like that, I am sure. But isn't your daughter capable of handling herself against the crudeness of men like Rumpelstiltskin?"

Talis suddenly smiled proudly, "She sure can. Last week she gave the shepherd's son a black eye for whistling at her. Two nights ago, she broke into a brawl and beat five men black and blue for trying to grab her bar-maid friend. You should have seen her, each men were thrice her size and she was beating the heck out of them."

The whisper answered somewhat dryly, "Yes, we saw. My companion wants me to tell you that he was betting on your daughter and cheering for her."

Talis asked curiously, "Is it fair to be betting on her when you already know the outcome of the event?"

The whisper explained, "Yes, but we were not betting on the outcome. We were betting on how much each of those men were going to be hurt and were trying to anticipate her fighting moves. For example, I bet on the fact that she would break the nose of the large red-haired one."

Talis chuckled, "So, you won?"

The whisper answered cheerfully, "Yes, I did. Buy your daughter a piece of cake on my behalf sometime."

Talis was so quiet for a few moments before he whispered in a pained manner, "He says such cruel things to her, screams at her, grabs her and even hits her. How am I to let it all happen?"

The whisper asked in return, "The power of a Dark One is not bestowed, none of the Dark Ones were beings of magic or people with magical aptitude to start with. They receive the powers of magic, well the dark magic, in the most vicious manner. You know this, Talis. The magic always burns under your skin, does it not? So how do you expect a creature of such painful power, of such magnitude of power, living a life of loneliness, sacrifice and wielding power to drive him to insanity and back for centuries and not be violent with his moods? I remember you treating your brave wife who was a mere girl years back in a similar manner."

Talis swallowed the large lump in his throat and whispered with self-disgust, "I had hurt Nora over and over again, in all sorts of manners. But she kept coming back at me and I healed her over and over again to hurt her all over again. I am a monster and my daughter will face a similar monster."

The whispered protested, "You exaggerate. You were quite appropriately behaved with Nora most of the time, in fact Nora had prepared herself for worse. It was only during your darkest of moments did your violence spill out. She understood and she watched you. Nora knew that there was more to you than your violent mood bursts and that there was something good in you. That was why she did not give up on you. After all, you had no one by your side, so who could blame you for not knowing how to behave appropriately and known of things as friendship and kindness. Your daughter is Nora's daughter as well as yours, she has grown up being prepared for this and knows your story very well, she will not be caught off-guard and survive this."

Talis grunted, closing his eyes in disgust, "What kind of justice is this? A monster's daughter having to live with another monster?"

The whispered sighed and urged, "You are not a monster and neither is Rumpelstiltskin. You were both tortured souls, so desperate and broken. Both of your powers were forced upon by their previous owners. You did not choose this life and neither did he. When you both received it, you wielded it and he wields it with the best of his knowledge, which isn't a lot. This is how Dark Ones are made. No Dark one ever makes it known how he came to be; otherwise every greedy power hungry man would be searching for the daggers and killing the other Dark Ones. Dark Ones are always tortured souls who have led hard lives and then they know how to lead a different kind of hard life without truly bringing about the destruction of the world. If truly evil men got to wield the power of a Dark One, the world would be turned to ashes. You have to remember just as your daughter does, that Rumpelstiltskin was a very normal man once."

The whisper pleaded, "He was a weak and hard-working man. A very poor man, he was a cripple as well. His own wife left him with a son. Yet through all the pain he had to go through, his village alienating him for a transgression they forced on his head, he loved his son fiercely. It was when the threat came on his fourteen year old son did he start feeling truly powerless. He could not protect his only son, so his predecessor, tricked him into becoming the next Dark One. For a while, Rumpelstiltskin thought all his misery ended and he was powerful. But to what end?

His misery did not end; the son he did so much for came to hate what his father became, because he did not understand what his father became. The fairies who were back then scared of Rumpelstiltskin's potential tricked the boy into banishing Rumpelstiltskin. The fairies wanted to banish him and his son to a world without magic. Rumpelstiltskin for the sake of his son had agreed, but at the last moment he backed out, losing his son in the process. Rumpelstiltskin is truly a miserable and lonely creature. He knows nothing of friendship, loyalty or kindness. How could he when no one has shown it to him? You have seen all the visions; do you only see him hurting your Fallon? Does he not treat her well ever? Does she not ever laugh around him? Or dance happily? Or just talk with him? Does she quiver in fear in front of him and cry?"

Talis' green eyes were burning with tears he held in as he whispered hoarsely, "I know. I know it all and I have seen it. He changes. She teaches him so much more than just friendship, kindness and loyalty. She does not change him at all, but he is different for her, only her. He will learn so much more from my Fallon. Fallon is so much like Nora. After a long time, he will protect my daughter, cherish her and would do anything for her. She will return the sentiments equally. But I still worry. I am her father, sometimes it feels like she should hate me for making her do this."

The whisper declared in is ear, easing his fears and lightening his heart, "You daughter loves you with all her heart. We know because we have seen her heart. She will never hate you for this simply because you are not making her do anything. She will not hate you for anything else either for that matter. This is something she was destined for and she chose it very practically after hearing about everything from you, remember? She is a very unique young lady"

Talis nodded and then was lost in his thoughts once more. His daughter had turned twenty-four last month. She was the most beautiful woman in the entire village. She was tall, taller than all the women in the village. She had the most glorious mane of pitch black hair that shone in the sunlight, but she rarely let her hair down, always kept it up in a tight bun or in a long and thick braid for practical purposes.

Her skin was very fair and her facial features looked as if drawn by some artist. She had very delicate and feminine facial features. Her eyes were the same as his, always intensely green. He knew for a fact from his dreams that his daughter would so very easily give Snow White a competition for the fairest of them all title. There was not one bachelor in the village who hadn't tried to approach her, or court her or even offer her marriage. Of course, predictably she denied them all. Now she was considered an old maid, but the villagers still thought of her as the perfect wife for their sons.

She might be the most beautiful woman in the village; she was also the most influential one. While Talis was considered the leader of the village, she was the heir of the leader. She took to her unofficial title very well, there wasn't a thing she hadn't done for the village. Always helping others and solving all their problems since she was a little girl, running around amuck trying to help everyone. All the villagers loved her for it and listened to her earnestly. Especially after that incident of the healer's daughter being missing.

Fallon was a child of twelve when she had gone to the group of men who were searching for the healer's daughter and told them to come with her, they did not listen. So Fallon went into the forest with her trusty steed and her bow and quiver of arrows. She had shot down three men and brought back a very distraught healer's daughter to the village. She had become the village heroine after that day and everyone listened to her.

Talis knew very well what his daughter was up to, thanks to his dreams and through him Nora knew as well. They had sat up that day, scared and worried out of their minds waiting for their daughter to return with the healer's daughter. They wouldn't stop her and Talis wasn't allowed to help her, if they did, then she would never learn to do things her own way. She needed to grow strong, independent and learn to always follow her instincts. If she wanted to help and save a girl, then she could do so. Fallon was anything but a damsel in distress. Nora always laughed and said that her daughter was the type who would save her prince and sweep him off his feet. Talis had grumbled about how the prince was no good for his daughter if he couldn't even save himself. Fallon had laughed loudly and said that princes were so over-rated, who needed romantic princes when there were so many nefarious villains she could have fun beating around?

Talis knew what his daughter was capable of. He had taught her after all. He had started training her on how to fight when she was merely seven years old. She had been trained on how to spot weaknesses and out-maneuver someone physically or otherwise, trained to build up her speed and strength, to be very flexible, nimble-footed, and have fast reflexes. He had taught her hand-to-hand combat and sparred with her almost every day. She was given weapons training when she turned ten. She was magnificent with her bow, could hit targets with great precision at the greatest of distances.

She liked daggers and fighting with them, but her trouble came with a shield. She hated them, she was good with them, but still found them cumbersome. Later Talis found out that her weapon of choice was two short swords and she was near damn unbeatable with them. He was always proud of her skills. So was her mother in fact. Nora wanted to learn how to fight when she was little girl and wasn't taught by anyone, she liked the fact that her own daughter would always know how to defend herself.

His daughter was currently away on a certain job. One she had taken on from a group of traders for a certain fee, she was away taking care of a bandit problem for a trade route. He was waiting for her to come home actually. That brought him out of his home and in his backyard at that odd time. He was not worried about his daughter being hurt; she was a very tough young woman, she could take care of herself. But as a father, he always worried.

The whisper stated with a little regret, "He will come for her soon, you know?"

Talis grunted, "I do know. You always show it to me in my dreams, remember?"

The whisper sighed and asked, "Are you prepared for it?"

Talis seethed, "Should you not be asking me if she is prepared? After all she is the one who will have to live with a monster for the rest of her life."

The whisper was not offended, but answered softly, "She will be fine; we have seen how much you have prepared her. What we worry about is if you will be able to let her go! She is your daughter after all, it is never easy for a father to let go of his children, especially in the face of such imminent peril."

Talis said sadly in a mere whisper, "Worry not about me. She is what is left of my life, Nora is gone and all I have left is my Fallon, so everything about the remaining existence of my life is for her."

The whisper replied with a cryptic, "Then you shall have your wish. You, Talis have a lot more to do. To see this through and we shall make sure you are able to complete your task. Your Fallon has been blessed by magic as well, you know that?"

Talis nodded and answered, "We have known it since she was a babe. Magic always liked her. Take that beast of a horse of her's for example. That thing sought her out and enlisted himself in her servitude even though she thinks of him as her dearest friend. He does not talk to anyone but her and we know how horses of his kind despise humans and stay away from beings of magic."

The whisper declared, "We always knew that Ciardha would be a magnificent companion for our little Fallon. His mother is very proud of him and thinks of Fallon very fondly. She wishes to meet Fallon someday to thank her for taking such good care of her son."

Talis grinned, "Then you tell Fallon all of that. Oh wait, you cannot. You cannot expose yourself to Fallon, now can you?"

The whisper sighed, "Must you tease about everything?"

Talis answered dryly, "Yes, it brings my soul unimaginable joy to do so."

The whisper snorted, "Your Fallon has that same streak in her, the need to annoy everyone, rebel always and get under everyone's skin. Sometimes, some very rare times I pity Rumpelstiltskin."

Talis chuckled darkly, "I don't. My Fallon can take him head on. He will not even know what hit him."

The whisper commented, "But of course. She knows everything there is to know about him and has been preparing for this since she was a little girl."

Talis looked back at the skies and said, "Her mother took a promise from me that I will not join her in death until I see our daughter to the end of her journey."

The whisper commented, "We know. You wife spoke to us briefly, well she spoke out loud to no one and we heard. She asked us to help you look after Fallon from afar. You wife was of a very kind soul."

Talis answered with a nostalgic grin, "She was and I always keep my promises to her."

It was a few moments later that Talis saw a dark figure riding on a huge steed. The rider sat proudly atop her black horse and was covered substantially from the view by her black cloak. The whisper complimented softly, "Your daughter looks very formidable."

Talis grinned, "That she does."

The whisper then added, "She is very beautiful as well."

Talis smiled softly, "Never judge her by her looks. She is the kind who stuns you with her beauty for a second and the next thing you know you are strung up by your ankles, dangling high above the ground and all your blood is rushing to your head. Then you need to fear and pray for what she has planned for you."

The whisper said grudgingly, "You make her sound evil."

Talis snorted, "No, I make her sound exactly like how she is."

The whisper was quiet for a few moments and then, "I do pity Rumpelstiltskin at this moment."

Talis only laughed and waited for his daughter to join him after she had sorted Ciardha in his stable. Poor Rumpelstiltskin, indeed.


	5. The Woman of Steele and The Old Gold Man

Hello Readers! Double updates. I wanted to give you some of Mr. Gold, I suppose. I just love him so very much.

I have seen a movie from 2005 called Marylin Hotchkiss' School of Dance and Charm, starring our favorite pawn broker and imp, amazing movie and I loved Robert Carlyle in it. He really is a good actor. Do watch it, he is brilliant in it. It was a sweet movie.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, I am kind of portraying Mr. Gold in a different way here. Although it might seem a little OOC, his character, but all will fall into place later on. Please Review and Happy Reading!

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time**

**Of Emeralds and Golds**

**Chapter Five**

(Eight years before Emma Swan arrives in Storybrooke.)

It was a sleepy town, a very dull town and nothing exciting ever happened in Storybrooke. It was as if everyone and everything stuck to a routine that went on and on and on. No one aged and no one left, no one was born and no one died. Nothing ever changed. Time was as if the town clock tower showed had stopped. All of this was rather curious, the never-changing town of Storybrooke, simply because it was a part of a world where there was no such thing as magic. Well there was but it was all the trick of fast hands and cleverly invented machinery and tricks. Real magic, the spells, the curses, the potions, the fairies, the dwarves, the dragons, the witches, none of that kind of magic existed in this world. This was how things have been for the past twenty years for the town of Storybrooke.

There was only one child in Storybrooke who actually aged. A little boy of two years named Henry. He was the only child who aged in the town of Storybrooke and he was the Mayor's adopted son. The Mayor was a woman named Regina Mills, a cold, manipulative and powerful woman and quite beautiful as well. A cold sort of a beauty she was.

Everything was not at all as it seemed in Storybrooke. No one knew the truth, the long forgotten truth about Storybrooke and its inhabitants. Only two people knew and remembered. One being Regina Mills, the mayor herself who thought she was the only one who knew. The other being a person who kept it a well kept secret, someone who believed that knowledge was power and this was one power he kept to himself to be used when the time was right. Mr. Gold was his name and he was the most powerful and fearsome man in all of Storybrooke.

It would be wrong to ask what he was and what he did, because frankly the man had his long thin well manicured fingers in everything. He owned most of what was Storybrooke, most of the houses, office buildings, shops and business properties as well as the forest lands were owned by his and he rent them out at outrageous prices and his methods of eviction were legendary and he was an attorney as well no one knew laws and got to work around them as well as he could, he let people borrow money from him at an interest rate and was very well within his right to get his money back with whichever way he saw fit which was just a very nice of saying that he was a loan shark, he was that filthy rich, his powers of negotiation and manipulation were almost like his comic-book super-powers, and let's not forget his day job, he was a mere pawn broker.

He was smarter than a whip, colder than the arctic, manipulative to the point that he was practically a mind reader and very unpredictable. His influence knew no bounds in the town of Storybrooke. He could do anything and everything and so everyone feared him. They had good reasons to fear him so it wasn't as if they judged him unfairly. His very quiet deals and never to be spoken of deeds had placed a very deep fear in all the other residents of Storybrooke. Then there were the exaggerated rumors which built up his formidable reputation, so most sensible people tried to steer clear of him. He never gave a day's extension on his rents, never lowered his interest rate for anyone and had not a lick of mercy or compassion. He simply was a ruthless business man.

Life was going simply and without complications for Mr. Gold as well, except for a minor and very secret detail. While he knew everything about everyone in Storybrooke, there was one person he was very secretly searching for and for the past twenty years she had eluded him. He just could not find her and he searched very well for her. Not one house or shop or business he had not looked into. He even looked into the hospitals and schools. He searched high and he searched low, but most importantly he searched thoroughly and very discreetly but he could not find her.

He never gave up though; he always knew there was a possibility for her to get separated from him for a number of years; that was how it was supposed to be. Because so long ago in another land and time he promised he would find her. That was how it was supposed to be, she would not remember but he would and he would find her no matter what. He even promised her to do everything he could to make her remember and if she couldn't then do whatever it took to keep her with him. He had kept a secret desire within during the very first few years of his search that he would court her this time. Woo her and seduce her. Make her fall in love with him.

But as the years went by and each search proved to be fruitless as the one before, he slowly became more and more frustrated. He was still determined to find her, but his patience was wearing thin. He was afraid that maybe he wouldn't have the patience to woo her like he had planned so long ago. He would most definitely become obsessed with his dire need for her and force her into becoming his. That would break her a little probably especially if she did not remember him and their past, but it would ensure her to be his and his only.

Could he ever forget her? With her unfaltering faith in him and that stubborn streak, that temper and that fire, that relentless pursuit of him, that forever burning passion just for him, those promises of her, that wit and that way of warming his very cold heart, with all of those things in his mind and heart, how could he forget her? He kept on searching for her.

He wondered what her new name would be here, what kind of work she would be doing, would her personality be altered, would her looks be affected, he wondered and wondered. He even wondered with sly smiles how she would react to the changes in him. Would she like his hair? Could she possibly see him with anything other than sympathy and pity now that he was a cripple with a cane? Well she would have to, if she meant any of the promises and words she had said to him in the past then his physical flaw would not bother her at all. In fact, if he remembered her naughty and creative little mind right, she would tease him about it and find out some erotic way to make him stop seeing his cane as a disability. She always made him feel like a better man even when he was at his lowest. She was one of his biggest secrets, for that very reason.

It was twenty years later, on a particularly bright afternoon that Mr. Gold decided to visit Granny's diner for a cuppa. For no special reason, really, just to scare a few people on the way there and back. It was a little fun to spice the so dreary days that went on and on and on. He had entered and everyone had gone stiff in silence for a few moments, and then after everyone was sure that he hadn't come for anyone and was going to take a seat alone did they relax. They were still wary of him, but felt a little safe. Mr. Gold loved the reactions he got; even the Sheriff on the table nearby went a little tense at his appearance.

After Ruby, the scantily clad grand-daughter of the diner's owner took his order, he waited. Ruby was one of the most beautiful young women in the town, no doubt about that, but Mr. Gold felt like she paled in comparison to his woman. Now, she was a true gem, one that shined the brightest, which was why he always kept her a secret. He sometimes prided in the small prediction of his that when he would find her, she would still be the most beautiful woman in the town and be on his arm. Not only would he be the richest and most powerful man in all of Storybrooke, he would also have the most beautiful woman as his own.

He waited for his cuppa and was going through his schedule in his head, which people he had to visit tomorrow and collect from and how much. Ruby had brought his cuppa with some of those little biscuits he rather liked, the ones with crushed hazelnuts and choco-chips in them. It was then that the door jingled obnoxiously announcing the arrival of someone and everyone, well every male in the diner went quiet and looked at the door as if had seen Aphrodite herself walk in. Even the cool and composed Sheriff almost spilled all his coffee as he hastily put his mug down.

A very familiar and almost melodic voice called out, "Hey Scarlet, what do I have to do around here to get a slice of Granny's yummy-licious double chocolate cake?"

Mr. Gold suddenly felt as if his heart had dropped into his stomach, there was no mistaking that voice. He couldn't turn around; he just couldn't make himself turn around, and he froze, half in anticipation and half in nervousness. So he watched everyone's reactions. Every male in the vicinity was eying the female behind him hungrily; some sighing wistfully, others with female companions eyed discreetly, even the mild mannered therapist, Dr. Hopper stared with a dazed smile. The Sheriff on the other hand had the slightest hint of a blush on whatever skin was visible on his face; everything else was covered by his thick shrub of a beard. Couldn't the man afford to shave every now and then, thought Mr. Gold viciously. The Sheriff dropped his mug on the table with a clumsy thug and almost squirmed in his seat, but his eyes never wavered from the new visitor.

Then it was Ruby almost squealing out loud, giddy with a huge smile on her lips, "Raven, about time you showed your pretty face here. Take a seat and I will see if I can do anything about that cake your craving. We can talk about what you can do for the slice of cake this weekend. I am sure I can think of something."

Mr. Gold waited with a stiff back as the loud and sharp clicks came towards him and then he saw her. After twenty years, there she was. She walked in long confident strides right by him and gracefully hopped onto one of those seats by the breakfast bar. He would always remember the second first time he had laid his eyes on her, and he thoroughly enjoyed his first look at her in years and marveled at the new woman that was before him.

She sat on the seat with her elbows bent and resting on the table behind her and her back arched against the table, her front facing everyone else, seemingly inattentive of all these people before her. Her hair was still the same shiny black, but this time her hair was in some sort of a fancy braid. It made her look so feminine and sophisticated, Mr. Gold thought. Her skin was still the soft cream and her lips full and painted in the color of tart raspberries. That was different, she had make-up on. Before this he had always seen her in her natural light, her lips were always a dark pink, so soft and full, but this new look was just as attractive to him. He rather liked how her lips were painted in that luscious shade, he wondered with a lick of his own lips if her lips would taste like raspberries.

Mr. Gold took a long slow sip of his tea; his throat had gone absolutely Sahara dry as he truly looked at her other attributes. She was wearing a full-sleeved wrap-around blouse in emerald green which hugged her curves so closely, and the deep neck of the blouse showed nothing but her creamy pale skin and high-lighted everything that her generous cup-size had to offer. Then his eyes traveled down, to the very tight black pencil skirt that covered her flat stomach and her bountiful hips and went down to just above her crossed knees. Then, there were those legs, he had never seen her legs like that before, how could he when she had so despised the clothing that women wore back then but now she was different and thank god for that because what a sight her legs were. Long, pale and beautiful and on her feet were the sexiest pair of the most dangerous looking black pumps he had ever seen. Fuck she was beautiful and she was all his.

He really couldn't get up and approach her then; his current situation was a tad bit awkward then. Greeting her for the first time in this world in a tented trouser would not be the best first impression. Only his disciplined control over himself and his emotions kept him from jumping up and pulling her into his arms. He had truly missed her. So he watched and wondered where she could have hidden for the past twenty years.

He watched her for the next half an hour. He watched when Ruby came back to her with a slice of cake and a milkshake and she attacked it with enthusiasm. He had chuckled then, some things never changed, her love for sweets was ever strong in her. She laughed and joked outrageously with Ruby who seemed to be a close friend of her's, which was very much impossible because before that day Ruby had only two friends, Ashley and Mary Margret. So where was she all these years? That meant she appeared in the town only that day, just like the magic had intended.

So Mr. Gold didn't fail to find her, she just wasn't there to be found, that made him feel a lot better about himself. She had appeared, she clearly had no memory of her true past and the hazy background of herself, in fact her entire life of Storybrooke had been created for her and she was placed in everybody's memories, except his own. He searched in his fake memories for her. Whose daughter was she, what did she do, where she lived, there was nothing. Hell, he did not even know her name! He briefly considered that maybe Raven was her Storybrooke name, but it seemed Scarlet and Raven were some sort of pet names Ruby and she had for themselves.

He could barely hold in his smiles every time his eyes discreetly wandered over to her. She had on a few pieces of gold jewelry, she was clearly well off. She looked breathtaking. It was odd seeing her nails painted, but they suited her dainty and beautiful hands. Those hands he remembered very well and he had missed those hands so very much. He had decided that when he would go up there and introduce himself, he would kiss her hand. She would like that; she always liked it when he was being dramatic. It should be a good start for his wooing campaign for her.

Finally when he was about to get up and make himself known to her, that stupid bastard huntsman jumped in. The heartless puppet of a Sheriff approached his woman, how fucking dare he! The Sheriff had stalked up to her side and then cleared his voice as if a porcupine was stuck in his throat. Mr. Gold watched with the glare of Medusa at them.

She had surprised him, like always. She was just so unpredictable. Some things really never changed even if they were stuck in a curse. She certainly did not change, noticed Mr. Gold gleefully, hell if he still was an imp he would have cackled madly. Whereas moments ago she was laughing and talking with Ruby so animatedly, the Sheriff's presence was not even fazing her. She loudly slurped on her milkshake, so very loudly and obnoxiously and to Mr. Gold's amazement had drowned out the sound of the Sheriff's persistent throat-clearing. What an odd way to get a girl's attention! Well what would he know, he was raised by wolves, sneered Mr. Gold.

She did not even look at him and Ruby watched it all with utter amusement plastered on her heavily make-up-ed face. Finally, the Sheriff could not take it anymore and said in his awful accent, "Miss Steele, it is good to see you after such a long time!"

Mr. Gold's eyes shone in excitement, her last name was Steele. He thirsted to know more. He needed her first name. It grated on his nerves that the stupid buffoon knew her name. His woman just blinked those beautiful green eyes once and then looked just looked at him with a blank stare and then she drawled out, "I am sure it is, Sheriff."

Then she went back to slurping her shake. Mr. Gold smirked proudly, that's his girl. The Sheriff was not deterred, he nervously fidgeted a little and then confidently asked in a manner that was so full of concern, "So where have you been, Miss Steele?"

She deadpanned, "Hiding from you."

Ruby couldn't help it and let out a loud snort. Mr. Gold actually let out a chuckle, oh how she was truly a gem. The Sheriff stilled and then laughed nervously and said, "A good one."

She tilted her head to the side and commented monotonously, "A joke, yes. I suppose, you would think it is a good one. Although, generally normal people are in the habit of avoiding Sheriffs. Something about avoiding trouble and Sheriffs generally don't bring good news."

Mr. Gold stared at them, she had not changed a bit. The Sheriff probably thought of it as some sort of flirtation instead of the brush off that it truly was, he teased her, he fucking teased her, "Well, only guilty people avoid Sheriffs, Miss Steele. Do you have anything to hide?"

She answered dryly, "I have a lot to hide, and I am very much entitled to my secrets. I wouldn't say I am one of those guilty people but I would hate to be a distraction, Sheriff. We wouldn't want to anger the mayor with your less than stellar performance, now would we?"

The Sheriff instantly stiffened and looked at her with hard eyes, and she merely stared back with blank eyes. The Sheriff asked her somewhat firmly, "What are you trying to say, Miss Steele?"

Mr. Gold was barely able to stay upright in his seat, he wanted to roll all over the floor in mad giggles like he used to in his past life. She was brilliant, his Miss Steele. Such a brilliant way of dangling the Sheriff's darkest secret right in front of his face without clearly saying anything at all. Miss Steele was not at all intimidated and replied monotonously, "I am not trying to say anything. I am actually saying it. If you were not here talking to me about mundane things then you would have noticed that there are three teenagers drawing graffiti on the building right across the street and very much visible from here. Hence, this is a distraction keeping you from doing your job."

The Sheriff sort of slipped up just a little, he let out a very obvious sigh of relief and then smiled charmingly at Miss Steele, but before he could open his mouth for anything, Miss Steele asked with a shark's grin, "Why, Sheriff, whatever did you think I was implying? It isn't like you are hiding something and I was taunting you about it."

The grin on the Sheriff's lips, to Mr. Gold's utter delight fell right off and he looked thoroughly puzzled. Miss Steele than turned back to her second slice of cake with a dismissive, "Sheriff, off you go. Catch those rowdy teenagers. Chop chop!"

The Sheriff stomped away after a few seconds of imitating a gold-fish. Mr. Gold gave his Miss Steele about ten more minutes, then he slowly stood up, confidently and made his way towards her. Her burning the Sheriff made his confidence soar, it was so very clear. She was still his. He walked up to her, and stood right behind her, looking at her so closely made his hands itch to touch her. From so close he could smell the delicious scent of vanilla wafting off her body. Finally in his most charming voice he said, "I am afraid we haven't been acquainted, my dear."

She turned to look at him, her emerald eyes seared his very soul, oh how he missed those intense eyes. She raised a black eyebrow at him and slowly looked him down and then stared right into his eyes. Mr. Gold was seconds away from grabbing her by her arms and attacking her lips. He missed her so. She gave him a calculative look and said something in her cold but sensual voice, "That's because I haven't had any reason to be acquainted with you. I want nothing from you, but since you are here introducing yourself, so the question really is, what can I do for you, old man?"

Mr. Gold suddenly felt as if someone had poured buckets of cold water over him. This wasn't her; she never spoke to him in this manner. She forgot him, but worse than all she didn't feel his presence. She felt nothing for him, but how could it be? She was his. How could she call him an old man? He wasn't that old and she had never been so blatantly disrespectful. She sneered at him. Even if she didn't remember, did she not know who Mr. Gold was? What his reputation was?

Suddenly all he could feel was an odd sensation of something being ripped from him and something that was slowly slipping away from his tightly clutched fingers. Did he lose his girl forever? No, that could not be. It was just the curse who made everyone forget and act differently. Did she truly hate how he looked? Did looks matter to her now? Had she become shallow? But it was the way she was appraising him for a rebuttal that made him sure that, that wasn't the case at all.

He still couldn't decide what to do, insult her right back, or use her old method when he was being difficult, tease and not back down. She used to be sickeningly charming, flirtatious and kind to him when he was being cruel. Or he could treat her like he treated everyone else in the town, give her the ruthless business man who had an ill-repute for a very good reason. Then his previously made plans spoke to him, he was supposed to woo her. Win her over and keep her all for himself. So he decided to stick to those plans. How long could she resist him after all and with her denial and barb-y attitude, this would be a challenge and he always loved challenges. He looked right into her burning green eyes and made a decision. She would be his, eventually.

Damn it all. He was not old.


	6. A Very Important Note to my Readers

Hello Readers,

It is with great sorrow that I am writing this but I have bad news. From what I have been hearing, plans on deleting many stories. Well, stories which are all our favorites and just happen to have sex in them, or swearing, or extreme violence.

But if this is to happen then our stories, our very writing style and plotlines will be affected. I mean I cannot write about Eric Northman without mentioning sex, or Clint Barton, or Mr. Gold, or Rumpelstiltskin, or Godric, or many, many others.

What does it matter why we write what we write? It is our imagination, and our way of expressing it. If cannot allow it then why does the site's motto say, Unleash Your Imagination?

I can't bear to imagine what will happen if so many of my favorite stories are all deleted from the site, I don't even think I could write my own stories with such restrictions.

So please spread the word and let us do something about it.

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There is a scheme brewing up with the FF staff and they're planning to take down any and every story over the M rated section (stories with Yaoi, Yuri, het lemons, song based stories, extreme violence, etc...)

So on June 23rd, there will be an official Black Out. Authors will not be able to log in, read, or review stories. Those who do not have accounts are also affected by FF's decisions too. Please participate and spread the news! If enough authors take part in this event, FF will know that we mean business. Also, if anybody has any information on when this purging on M-rated fics will be, please contact me. I would like to know in advance.

SPREAD THE WORD!

Copy and paste this into your story updates, communities and forums!

Thanks!

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Also, please sign this petition. I have personally seen the bullying of one of my favorite writers by this 'Critic'. She had to open a new account.

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Copied from the petition of David Anderson:

For as long as has existed, aspiring authors have used it to expand their creativity and imagination. Stories such as songfics are one of many ways for us to show our love of music and writing and share it with the world. However, groups like Critics United have taken it upon themselves to go and harass authors, teasing and bullying the author until he/she has to take down the story. The have no right to do this to authors, and we have to take a stand. and if songfics are not allowed by the site, then why is there catagories like Glee or Phantom of the Opera or Cats on the site for fanfictions? Please help our voice be heard and lets take a stand!

petitions/the-authors-of-fanfiction-net-stop-critics-united-from-cyber-bullying-our-fellow-authors-2

Please remove the spaces and join the petition, we need to put a stop to this.

Zahra...


	7. The First Move and The Anticipation

Hello Readers! Well here is the next chapter and it is a very long chapter and I am hoping you will be very happy with it. I had originally planned on splitting it into two chapters, but it kind of seemed to be better as a whole.

I hope you like it and please do Review. Happy Reading!

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time...**

**Of Emeralds and Golds**

**Chapter Six**

(Eight years before Emma Swan arrives in Storybrooke.)

Mr. Gold had not taken the bait his girl had dangled in front of him. He had not scowled at her, snarled at her or even raised his voice at her. Back in the day though, he had screamed at and done much worse to her at the slightest disrespect or disobedience he imagined he received from her. Things as he had decided would be very different this time. He had observed his girl for more than half an hour before he had approached her at Granny's. From what he saw of her personality and the expensive clothes and jewelry she wore, she was very well off, she wouldn't be one of those weak minded simpletons of the town he could so easily own. She had never been like that in her past life and she clearly carried back that trait of her's into her new life.

He had merely given her a dark smile and promised, "For now, nothing, Miss Steele. But who can predict the future?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, the sheer arrogance of that single movement made Mr. Gold feel all sorts of heat. Her eyes were emeralds, brilliant in color, but hard and cold in texture, he gave her a slight mocking-nod and he had walked off without once looking back at her. He did hear Ruby very clearly hiss out, "Scarlett!"

His girl merely hissed back, "What? He started it!"

He narrowed his eyes as he walked away; oh he had not even started. But when he would be done, she would be his and only his. Ruby told her matter-of-factly and Mr. Gold agreed with her, "You will be sorr-ry!"

His girl deadpanned, "Sorry that I didn't ask him where he got the highlights in his hair done?"

Mr. Gold growled under his breath, he did not get highlights in his hair. Ruby on the other hand disagreed with his opinion and giggled at her friend's clever quip. Mr. Gold had walked away that day, but that did not mean he gave up or forgot.

He had gathered a lot of intel on his girl on that day and the new few days. Yes, so he followed her around a bit and did a miniscule bit of stalking for a week or so. It was all legit. So what if he heard something about her from someone else? Not his fault, people in small towns talked a lot.

His girl, in this world she was called Fiona, Fiona Steele, a beautiful name for his beautiful girl. Fiona Steele was 25 years old, and had been a resident of Storybrooke since forever. But the truth was she had appeared out of thin air a day ago and she knew nothing about it, the curse ruled her memories as well.

She was actually one of those very few people who owned their own business, business premises and home in Storybrooke. To be very specific, she had two very successful businesses in Storybrooke, and Mr. Gold was mighty impressed with that. Her mother, the late Noelle Steele was an ex-ballroom dancer who married her father and then opened a dancing studio slash weekly dance classes in Storybrooke. Noelle Steele died of an aneurism when Fiona was nineteen.

Fiona's father was the late Thomas Steele who died in a car accident a few years ago. Thomas Steele was the sole remaining Steele left in Storybrooke and everyone knew the Steele family was of old money. Thomas had a very prestigious jewelry store in Storybrooke and his business was famous all over Boston and New York. People used to commission him to design their jewelry; he was a magnificent designer and businessman.

His daughter had inherited the business from him as well as his talent for designing jewelry. She was if possible even more famed as a jewelry designer compared to her father. While he concentrated on distributing most of his designed pieces and even selling the designs to be mass produced by larger jewelers, Fiona had taken to designing for very specific people. She designed a particular line of jewelry, or pieces for celebrities and models; she especially worked for influential men, business men or political figures who hired her to design pieces for their beloved companions. Her pieces never stayed long in her shop, they were sold soon after they were displayed. She was running a very successful business from what he could tell. The shop was quite grand, if Mr. Gold could say so and the name was so very, as luck would have it apt, Esmeralda's.

Esmeralda's, a perfect name for a shop owned by a perfect girl with emerald eyes, decided a smirking Mr. Gold. He had kept very close watch on his dear Miss Steele. From what he could find out about her, which was a lot, Miss Steele was very eccentric and the most desirable female in Storybrooke. Of course she turned all the men down, the rumors were that she had a lover in Boston, and she kept it quiet because her lover was a married man.

The rumors were of course, Mr. Gold seethed, just rumors. She couldn't possibly have a lover, she didn't have one presently just like she had not one in the past. He knew her very well. He also looked into her regular visits of Boston, turned out that they were for business purposes only. She met clients, went to the events hosted by her business associates and basically did whatever she needed to advertise herself. She was a clever girl.

Mr. Gold also tried to look into her upbringing, how she was raised in this world, to make a guess as to how her personality was in this world. All he got was that Noelle and Thomas Steele were so much in love with each other, how very romantic they were and how they had a fairy tale love story, how it was so utterly sad that Mrs. Steele passed away and then her husband. Those were the only things he got about the Steele family. He was not surprised with this information at all; it was just as it was in the other world.

Noelle or Nora, and Thomas or Talis were sickeningly in love with each other and why should it be different in this world? Especially when their story ended long before the curse was unleashed, their affair was more like dust when it came to the curse, so in this world, they existed because Fiona existed, but they were a matter of a history, that is dead because they were not there when the curse was unleashed. He was both happy with this and unhappy. Happy because this ensured him that his girl had possibly a happy upbringing and loving parents; unhappy because said parents were dead, he had no lead or connection to Fiona and their deaths might have left a negative impression upon his girl. It was a difficult situation. He got nothing on Fiona Steele. No interesting incident of her high school life or any other police incident.

He also found out that Miss Steele had a running tab at Granny's and ordered huge amounts of food from there for her lunch. She also always left large tips to Ruby. Her sweet tooth was especially prominent in this world, it seemed, pies, sweets, sweet drinks, ice-creams, cakes, doughnuts, cookies and such items of food were consistently being delivered to her office and workshop, which was in the same building as her jewelry shop. Mr. Gold nursed a small fantasy about bringing her certain deserts and sharing them with her.

Miss Steele also lived alone in a large house. Coincidentally and to Mr. Gold's utter delight, her house was not even ten minutes away from his. She lived alone, but had a housekeeper working for her. A Mrs. Martha Farrell came in to work for her as a housekeeper every morning and stayed till the evening, except on Saturdays and Sundays. She was a very generous employer, opting to pay her help very generously; he knew that because Mrs. Farrell always paid his rent on time and lived in one of his nicer apartments with her young grandsons.

He also knew that Mrs. Farrell had a rather comfortable lifestyle and did not need for money and had a saving account where she had been saving money for her grandsons. Mrs. Farrell was unusually loving and protective over her employer. From what memory the curse had made for them, Mrs. Farrell apparently had been working for her parents and now worked for her. She had known Ms. Fiona Steele since she was in her diapers.

His Fiona apparently had quite the eccentric style of living and working, which was a rather polite way of saying she had a huge attitude problem, said whatever the hell she wanted, did whatever she felt like and did not give a damn about the consequences. So that was where she got her nerve to call him an old man be that flippantly rude to someone of his reputation.

Miss Steele also, according to what Mr. Gold thought was a snob and a spoilt child. She had to be with that amount of money and being an only child. Her parents gave her the world and from what he could tell, they were the only ones who had some kind of control over her. They were the ones to keep her disciplined, but now they were gone and she had no need for manners or kindness of any sort.

She led a life that seemed somewhat detached from everyone else in the town. Except the select and very privileged few whom she let into her life, she had consideration for none. She also had somewhat of an extreme agitation towards people of less intelligence and the weak spirited people. She was especially harsh to them. She took too much pride in herself and her higher than average intelligence, that was mainly why she was so arrogant. She honestly did think herself of being better than everyone else in the town. She was richer than them, had a better education, had a stronger backbone, could outwit anyone, had a very successful career and she was aesthetically pleasing. She knew all of that and this was why she knew she was different than everyone else. She was just better than them. She knew it and it shined out through her personality and attitude.

Fiona Steele had walls of goblin iron around her and her heart. Nobody could penetrate her shields; she kept to herself, her true self that it. She did not joke, smile or even talk with anyone else other than those few she called her friends. She did not trust or care for anyone, she did not simply because she had no reason to. Her previous self had a strong tendency of placing trust in people, of reading them and knowing them from inside out. Her previous self had the ability to understand people, of wanting to help them if they were good. This Fiona Steele did not care to look deeper into a person to see their worth. If she did not need them, she cared not. It took Mr. Gold a few days of constant watching to find these conclusions, it saddened him. The best shinning traits of his girl seemed to be dimmed in this world. The very traits that had enabled her to reach out to a dark being like himself and show him a little light in his dark, dark world, were not present in her in this world.

She seemed to be almost a narcissist with her confidence and sociopathic with her disregard for others. The only thing that proved otherwise was her very obvious care, affection and over-protectiveness for her employees and those very few she deemed her friends. Those handful of people included Ruby, Ruby's Grandmother, Mrs. Farrell and her two grandsons, Mr. Gem (one of her employees) and his wife and of course, Caleb.

Caleb Foster was Fiona's body-guard, private assistant, chauffeur (when she did not feel like driving), sometimes dance-partner and go-to-guy. Miss Steele always claimed that Caleb was a part of her family, an orphan her parents had taken in when she was a toddler. In truth, Caleb was a behemoth of a man who scared the living daylights out of people by appearance alone and was eerily quiet, extremely loyal to Miss Steele and very protective over her.

Mr. Gold was just a tad bit distressed over this man. It wouldn't suit his plans if his girl had a lover somewhere. He did not like competition or complications, so he looked into the one man his Fiona was so close to. He kept very close watch on Caleb instead, to figure out what he was to Fiona. It took him a little time, but Mr. Gold finally recognized this Caleb. He immediately laughed and stopped worrying about this man whom his girl dotted upon. He laughed some more as he remembered exactly who or rather what this Caleb was in the other world. Mr. Gold smirked darkly, not that he wouldn't be able to take care of Caleb if Caleb proved to be a hurdle in his goal to obtain his girl.

He was in a way glad that Miss Steele had Caleb to look after her. It made him feel less worried about her safety. Caleb, he noticed with a wry smile, in this world was a six foot five inches tall a man, with long black hair that flowed all the way down his back, with sharp features and glinting and cold hazel eyes. Mr. Gold resisted the urge to cackle madly like his other-self when he thought about Caleb's long face and that long broad nose, along with that wide mouth, true signs of Caleb's other-self was so evident on his facial features, if only the silly girls who sighed and giggled over Caleb's supposed handsomeness knew.

Caleb was frighteningly well built with muscles that intimidated even the bravest men at sight, he stalked where ever he walked, and he was extremely quiet. Well, he never spoke, nobody ever heard him speak, but he growled a lot, snorted insultingly at everything and glared at everyone but Mrs. Farrell, Mr. Gem and Miss Steele. Caleb lived in an apartment which Miss Steele owned and it was very near her house. A little more digging told Mr. Gold that even his own intimidating men of rather ill-repute were terrified of the behemoth that was under Miss Steele's employment.

Miss Steele while very competent when it came to her store of jewelry and office of designs did nothing in her mother's dance studio; she just made sure it kept on running. She did not need pay rent since she owned it, but she maintained it superbly and paid all the other bills. She even did loads of advertisements for the classes and sponsored all sorts of festivals and shows. It was because of how she presented the dance studio was why it was so popular and also the fees for the classes were rather cheap, so anybody could afford them, really. She really was not interested in it making profit, but it still did. It was a rather popular place amongst certain people with certain tastes. Mr. Gold knew that Miss Steele had employed three dance instructors in Noelle's. Those dance instructors were paid very well and they held ballet classes for little girls and teenagers, ballroom dancing for all ages, aerobics for the ladies and some other activities.

After a little more digging, Mr. Gold found out that Miss Steele was an ex-student of her mother's dance classes and actually was an accomplished dancer who knew all sorts of dances. So naturally, Mr. Gold paid special attention when he heard what other forms of dance the studio also provided and his eyes darkened with desire and overwhelming anticipation, the studio also taught belly-dancing, pole-dancing, samba, rumba and even burlesque. Apparently, the late Mrs. Steele was proficient in almost all manners of dances and she taught her daughter to be so as well. Mr. Gold shivered in anticipation and excitement as he thought about watching his girl dance for him. The sheer dark decadence of the thought left him smirking darkly. His detailed research on Miss Steele confirmed the fact that she attended the burlesque, belly-dancing and all those other rather sensual dance classes. Oh how he thought about it and his mind brought out vivid pictures to entertain him.

Miss Steele went to a few classes and participated happily whenever she could make time. Apparently it was a mode of relaxation for her as well as a hobby. She even dragged her behemoth of a bodyguard Caleb with her. He never participated if he could help it and he just stood in a corner, sulking and brooding darkly. The presence of the huge man in the dance studio was always hilarious to the students, no matter what the age. It was a shock to everyone; especially Ruby who always made fun of the man, Caleb was actually a marvelous ballroom dancer.

He, but of course only danced when Miss Steele commanded him to and when she did not have a dance partner. The funniest thing, it was the late Mrs. Noelle Steele who had made both her young daughter and foster son to the dance classes and forced them to learn. Apparently, amongst the old biddies of Storybrooke it still was a funny story about how the sweet Noelle Steele would drag the tall and lanky boy by the ear practically for her dance classes and every time that he escaped, she would send her daughter after him. Caleb could never say no to the little girl even then. Mrs. Farrell had the opinion that Caleb let go of his mock-disliking of dancing after Mrs. Steele passed away. Now he danced to remember her by. Most of the old women who went to the weekly Thursday night dance class for the mature group, to dance with the tall, dark, handsome and with biceps the size of small tree trunks Caleb.

The mayor, Regina Mills, it seemed was quite unaware of Miss Steele. Regina in the past did not know his girl, or of her existence even, hence in this world Regina was completely unaware of the girl, simply assuming that she hadn't noticed the girl before or come across her. How did Mr. Gold know that little tidbit, well he bumped into Regina Mills on purpose right in front of the lavish store, Esmeralda's. He had a little talk with Regina and it seemed that she remembered vaguely of Thomas Steele and this shop, but didn't know he had a daughter. Mr. Gold had smirked vaguely at that and of course that irritated the mayor with her delicate sensibilities. She strode away from him in haste, after all it wouldn't do her reputation any good if she was to be seen with the town's most dangerous man, now would it?

All this information that he had gathered, well they helped shape and solidify his plans more, but that had been days ago, he was ready to make his moves and so he did. The first thing he did that fine Monday morning was be at Granny's at seven for a cup of tea, he waited patiently and his patience was rewarded handsomely at the appearance of his prey who was looking rather delicious that morning.

With that obnoxious jingle of that door, Miss Fiona Steele breezed in and by breezed in Mr. Gold really meant breezed in. Just the second she entered, the sweet and lingering scent of her perfume filled the rather empty diner as well. Mr. Gold took a moment to close his eyes, breathe in deeply and just relish her sweet scent. He smirked; she had expensive taste in perfume it seemed. He opened his eyes and dropped his eyes to his steaming cup, she had expensive taste in everything in this world. The only pampered and spoilt daughter of a pair of privileged and filthy rich parents who catered to her every need, desire and wish. His research on her already told him that she wore clothes which were very expensive and of high-end brands. She even had a stylist in the town; the owner of the boutique, La Belle's, Mrs. Donatella Griffiths was her personal stylist. This Mrs. Griffiths in the other world was actually the infamous seamstress of made dresses for the most beautiful of princesses, fairies and even queens. He remembered granting the ability to the seamstress for making phenomenal dresses in exchange for the heirloom of a necklace. The core gem of a necklace just happened to be the crystallized tear of a phoenix, a very rare magical ingredient. That was a good deal.

He heard her call out, her voice still familiar to his ears and just as sensual, "Oh Rubes, may I get my usual and chocolate muffin to go, please?"

Mr. Gold raised his eyes and oh god, she really was testing his self-control. She was bending over the breakfast bar, talking to Ruby. That wasn't the problem; the problem was her generous and perfect bottom jutting out right at him. Covered in tight black jeans and begging for his hands to touch, or grope or smack even. He almost groaned, they were so round and perfect and why the hell was she bending over like that? Did she not know how to act in public?

It was when Ruby left to get her order did she finally straighten up and then leaned casually against a seat. Mr. Gold hungrily swept his eyes all over her, this day she was wearing the tightest pair of black jeans he had ever seen and they were like a second skin to her long shapely legs. Her top, if it could be called that was sleeveless and hugged her body like a corset, only it looked like a vest which emphasized her generous chest and cinched at her thin waist. Her bag was right by her side, black and she was fiddling through her wallet. Her hair, those glorious black curls were wound up in bun which was held up by a gold colored clip, she had a thin gold pendent at her pale throat and matching earrings on, clearly expensive and if he guessed right, they were of her own creation. Her lips were colored the darkest of pinks.

What Mr. Gold really loved were her shoes, she had on these black strappy very high-heeled shoes which for the life of him he couldn't describe, but the heels made her posture look so much better. Her choice in her footwear in this world seemed entirely too erotic and he loved it. She was a tall woman, well taller than average. In the previous world and in this one, she was just an inch or two shy of his own height without her dangerously high-heeled shoes, and she towered over him with her four inches high heels. He admired her tall stature and that magnificent body. She could rival those models and actresses oh so easily. He watched her with admiring eyes and smiled a secret smile, she was beautiful and all his.

After Ruby got back with her order, she took it with a brilliant smile, a laughing thank you and paid Ruby a twenty. Ruby, who was called back by her Granny, turned around and Miss Steele turned around to leave as well, but just when she was about to, she finally, finally noticed him, her admirer.

Mr. Gold's eyes darkened as he openly leered at her, oh she knew exactly why and how he had been staring at her. Miss Steele stared back at him, her smile dropping completely and her face going blank, but her eyes were so cold that if Mr. Gold was a lesser man like that oaf of a sheriff, he would have shivered. Such an ice-queen his girl was and how she was such an expert at putting lustful men at their right place. He gave her a shark's grin, good she knew well enough to save herself all for him, well she didn't know but she did it anyways. He could feel the excitement brewing in his stomach as her expression got even frostier at his grin.

To agitate her further he called out pleasantly, his accent thick and prominent, "Good Morning, dearie!"

It was because he was staring at her unblinkingly did he notice her quick roll of eyes, she answered loudly, "Oh it was!"

His grin widened at her quip and watched her pick up her bag with a flourish and leave, well stomp away. She was right, it was a good morning and it was going to get better, for him that is.

An hour later, he lazily made his way over to the book shop, belonging to a Miss Isabel Carpenter, good girl, very efficient and hard-working and always paid rent on time, both for her shop and her apartment. Her father was sick and she was running everything all alone. It was also very funny that Ms. Carpenter got very skittish around him. Again, he had more than one reason to be there that day.

He had made a special order at Ms. Carpenter's shop, Words n' Pages, three days ago, he was just heading over to receive his specially ordered set of books. He had no hidden motive at all and if he did bump into someone over there, oh how was he to be blamed? He chuckled and almost merrily made his way over to the shop.

Upon his entrance, the lovely shop-keeper immediately made her way over to him nervously, greeting him and showing him that his ordered books were already packed and ready to be taken. He had chuckled darkly and teased her, well not teased her per say, he knew exactly how his words would scare the skittish woman, "I just came in and you are already running me off, Ms Carpenter? Not a very good way of handling a customer, I must say."

The shopkeeper was rather lovely in a mousy sort of a way, if only extremely nervous. She had her red-brown hair wavy hair in a bun which kept on unraveling on its own and made her all the more nervous and fidgety with it. Blue eyes which were constantly maintained a wide-eyed look to it and a pale blue dress to match; she was lovely if someone could overlook her exhausted state of health. She was far too thin, overworked and had dark shadows under her eyes. Mr. Gold supposed he could go a bit easier on her and be the slightest bit kind to her, knowing of her life here and the life she had in the other world. But if he did, he wouldn't be Mr. Gold, the heartless businessman, now would he? She paled and stuttered, "Oh, nn-o no no, Mr. Gold! Nothing like that, I was just-that, I uh thought…"

He sneered out walking briskly inside, "No need to stutter anymore, Ms. Carpenter. I would like to browse for some more purchase either way."

She squeaked and jumped up to guide him, "Of course, right this way, Mr. Gold."

Mr. Gold dismissed her immediately and walked over to the side where the mystery section was. He looked at his watch and waited and looked through the books. Right as he had anticipated, another customer entered. A familiar sweet perfume wafted through the air as he heard the voice he longed to hear call out, "Oh Isabel, are my books here?"

Isabel Carpenter who just moments ago sounded as if someone was holding a knife to her throat upon seeing her new customer did a complete 180 metaphorically speaking that is, she sounded cheerful, "Fiona, right on time. Yes, your books and magazines are all here and packed up. I also have the poetry books Caleb ordered, would you like to pick them up on his behalf?"

He heard her laugh softly and reply, "Caleb and his poetry. I could never understand that stuff."

The skittish shop-keeper defended her customer, "You could if you read some, Fiona."

Miss Steele snorted, "No, I don't think so. Hell, if a man spouted poetry and flowery sappy words to me in honor of my beauty, I'd die laughing on the spot. Poetry, I am afraid, just isn't my cup of tea."

Ms. Carpenter walked with her towards the shelves, "Yes, your cup of tea would be fiction, fantasy, historical pieces, mystery novels and such things, eh?"

Miss Steele quipped, "Actually, I don't like tea at all; I am more of a coffee girl. Tea is for old biddies."

Mr. Gold barely held in his growl, tea was not for biddies. One needed to have class and good taste to appreciate fine things such as tea. His girl was many things but clearly she lacked in this department. Tea is for old biddies, what croak of shit!

He just had to stay right where he was and wait. She came, smiling a curious smile and looking at all the books right in front of her. Her thirst for books was something she carried into this world, but for a different reason entirely. In the other world, she had a curiosity that was almost never sated and loved to pursue knowledge, hence the need for books, but in this world, books were her companions. She was a hermit of sorts and the books she bought were her only companions in that large house of hers.

Again, how did he know that? His research on her was that thorough, also, a well placed telescope at a particular window of his house had a perfect and clear view of her house and her large windows provided great insight into her house and her life. He had seen her reading book after book late into the night, at least when she was sitting in the huge scarlet chair. On nights she did not occupy that chair, he guessed she was working in her little workshop in the house. Of course he had yet to figure out where her bedroom was or if his telescope even had a vision of it. To his utter delight, she was a creature of the night, keeping nocturnal hours and rarely ever getting more than five or six hours of sleep.

She came into Words n' Pages every Monday before noon to pick up new books for herself. Thursdays were those rare exceptions when she had not designed anything that week and had gone through her books faster than usual and was there for a quick pick up of fresh books. If it was not books, she loved watching movies as opposed to watching television shows. She abhorred television shows, now Mr. Gold knew that because he had overheard a conversation between Ruby and Miss Steele where Miss Steele was very vocal about her disgust of television shows and how she had not the patience to watch them but certain movies she loved to watch over and over again.

He angled himself just so that she could not see him watching her while she was contemplating the titles and caressing the spines of the books on the shelves with her pretty pale fingers. He leered, just a few more inches and he could reach out and caress those pale arms of hers. Just as he had planned, she turned and jumped a little. He swept his eyes from the book he was looking through to look at her with an expression of mock-surprise; she looked halfway between shocked and irate. Such a well planned 'accidental' meeting, pure coincidence it was. Oh how he wanted to cackle madly. Her mouth dropped open and she then she pressed her lips together tightly and gave him a truly irritated look.

He grinned, all teeth and dimples and said in his smoothest voice, "Well now, dearie this is a most pleasant surprise!"

She narrowed her bright green eyes at him and bit out, "Surprise, why yes it is! Pleasant? Well, now that is a matter of opinion."

He shut his book with a snap and reached for another book from the shelf and replied teasingly, "Now now, don't be too hard on yourself, Miss Steele. I assure you, you look very pleasant."

Of course he made sure that with his last statement he leered at her slowly and very thoroughly. She rolled her eyes at him and retorted tartly, "Suddenly, I feel the need for an acid bath. Now, excuse me, I need to see that shelf about a book or two."

She walked around him, her heels clicking sharply on the floor. He kept his eyes on the book, and said simply, "What a lucky shelf that must be!"

She took out three books and snarked back, "Luckier than a certain old man obviously!"

Mr. Gold's eyebrow twitched. Oh how he would show her how old he was when he got his hands on her! He turned around and made his way towards the shelf she was at, slow and steady. The small and dull thuds of his cane seemed to make her body go a little rigid, barely noticeable but he was staring the delicious curve of her spine, so he noticed. He stood right by her, eyeing the books before him and asked teasingly, "Now why the harsh words? I was merely addressing a fellow bookworm."

She did not even look at him and replied, "I spoke the facts, harsh or otherwise, I care not. Also, I am not a fellow anything when it comes to you."

Mr. Gold, just to punish her, quickly retrieved the book she was reaching for and was staring at the back cover. He heard her huff softly and then he drawled, "What about me could possibly ruffle your feathers so, dearie? I run a mere pawn shop after all."

She snipped, "Self-preservation in this town means to avoid shark-like characters. Right now the only face that reminds me of a shark is you."

Mr. Gold kept the book in his hand, enjoying the way she was glaring at his gloved hand and chuckled darkly, "Oh, you jest surely. I am harmless and you over-estimate me, dearie. What sort of things you must assume about me, I am curious!"

She raised a dark eyebrow and looked at him snootily, "I don't need to assume anything. I see the facts and the facts indicate that you have an unhealthy interest in me and seem to be stalking me."

Mr. Gold could have and would have replied viciously if it was someone else, but this girl was different, she was his girl after all. So he teased his best impish grin and accent thick, "Now that's an awful accusation! I do not stalk you, no matter how attractive a lady you may be, Miss Steele."

She snorted, "Right and the way you seem to be bumping into me at random places and always being there whenever I am out about the town, that isn't stalking?"

Clever girl, she was quite aware of her surroundings. Mr. Gold titled his head and answered, "I could say the same thing about you, dearie. I am a busy man and have numerous businesses about the town. It is you who is always there right around the corner, no matter where I go. I could say it is you who is stalking me."

She folded her arms underneath her bust, oh god she lived to torture him, really. He ogled at the tempting vision before him and almost missed the determined expression on her face as she retorted, "A mere pawn broker, indeed. What would make, as you put it, an attractive lady like me, a young one at that, stalk someone like you?"

Oh, that was a harsh one and how he sizzled on the inside. She wasn't shallow and he knew that. She just loved picking at everyone's weakness and he knew that. The only reason she spared Ms. Carpenter for her stuttering was because she had a sick father and always catered to Fiona Steele's need for books. If he showed even the slightest bit of weakness or hurt or any reaction at all because of her barbs, he would lose face and that would be bad for his reputation. Also, if she found him weak, she wouldn't give him the slightest bit of attention, that just how Miss Steele was.

He quipped dryly, "I wouldn't know what goes on in the head of an attractive female stalker. I suppose that would be for the authorities to find out after this stalker would be apprehended."

She blinked and then gave him a quick scowl. He smirked, point for him. She roughly grabbed a few more books, not even looking at the titles let alone the back covers and retorted, "Oh please, shady characters like you have thorough knowledge about dubious activities like stalking."

She really was an obstinate thing, hanging onto an old bone like a dog. This time Mr. Gold rolled his eyes and demanded, letting a little danger seep into his tone, "Do tell, Miss Steele what makes you so sure that I am a shady character."

She glared at him and declared, "Oh your reputation precedes you, old man. There is not a single person in Storybrooke who isn't aware of you and your deals. I am not exactly sure yet as to what you want from me and why the sudden interest in me, but you'd be a fool to think that I would let you play me. So drop the nice-old-man act. It doesn't suit you."

He almost shuddered in excitement. Oh how he loved her fire. Mr. Gold leaned into her a little; eyes right on hers, and said, voice dark and sensual, "I mean no harm to you as I have said before. But you are right, I do want something. For starters, an introduction would do."

She did not back down, she asked coldly, "What do mean, an introduction?"

He answered, "Well, you do have me at a disadvantage, dearie; knowing so much about me through the grapevines. I know nothing about you and like I had said so many days ago to you at the diner, we haven't been acquainted yet."

She huffed, "And like I said all those days ago at the diner, we have no reason to be acquainted."

He smirked and replied, "Yet here we are, in a book shop, having a conversation about acid bathes, lucky shelves, shady characters and stalking. I daresay this warrants us as acquaintances."

She snorted, "How scintillating!"

He jibbed, "Isn't it so?"

She frowned and asked, "You already know me, why all this farce? What's your angle?"

He shrugged and replied, "No angle, dearie and no, I don't know you at all. I admit it unashamedly. I wish to be introduced to you just as I am and I wish for you to introduce yourself, that's all. Just getting to know you."

She shook her head and narrowed her eyes, and said suspiciously, "No, that can't just be it, there must be something else."

Mr. Gold barely held in his victorious smirk. She had walked right into it, oh how he had her right where he wanted. He challenged with a glint in his eyes, "Why don't you find out for yourself then?"

Her emerald eyes said it all. Game on. She nodded and held out a hand for a shake and replied, "Fiona, my name's Fiona Steele."

His gloved hand gripped her hand, a perfect fit, and said enigmatically, "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Steele and I am…"

She interrupted him with a roll of her eyes, "Yes yes, Mr. Gold, the mere pawn broker who intimidates the hell out of this town and also known as the resident devil of Storybrooke."

She just couldn't resist, could she? Very well, if she was going to be difficult then so could he. He smiled charmingly at her, dimples and all, not at all perturbed and swiftly brought the hand he was holding onto delicately to his lips and placed a lingering kiss on the soft back of her hand.

His eyes never left her face, she was caught off-guard by his action. There was a blush on her cheeks which was quick to appear and disappear and then she glared at him. Oh how she glared at him! He stated his eyes dark and intense voice filled with dark insinuation and promises, "What a delightful creature you are, Miss Steele. Truly beautiful! I am fortunate to make an acquaintance of you."

She snatched her hand away from him and glared at him as he returned said glare with a leer of his own. She looked at her hand in slight disgust and muttered distastefully, "Where is a bottle or two of hand sanitizer when you need it?"

He offered charmingly, "I do have some back at my shop, dearie if you would be willing to come!"

She glared at him and snarled, "I'd like that as much as I'd like jumping into a vat full of avian flu germs!"

My my, she was a creative one, wasn't she? She huffed and started walking away with the few books she held in her hand. How sad, he seemed to have distracted her from book shopping. How horrible a distraction he must have been and how she would now lack books to read to pass her time in that big old house of her's. He inwardly smirked, now she had all the more reason to venture out of her house and get acquainted with all sorts of new people, the first being him of course. He teased as he walked right behind her, "So, is that a no, Miss Steele?"

She stalked out, slamming the books on the counter, scaring the poor Ms. Carpenter. She called out, "Isabel, pack those up and put it on my tab, Caleb will pick them up later today."

Skittish Ms. Carpenter immediately burst into action, bumping into things and clumsily putting aside her books. Then Miss Steele called out louder as she walked out the store, "That's a hell no, old man."

Mr. Gold chuckled darkly at her parting words and also at Ms. Carpenter's shocked gasp at the bravado of the woman striding away in tight black pants and really high heels.

He had a pleasant day at the shop, he supposed. But more was to come right after lunch hours and he was far more excited about that. He closed his shop for a while and walked confidently, a secretive smile etched on his lips making all the other passer-bys on the street giving him a wide berth out of fear all the way to a certain lavishly decorated shop. The sign above claimed the name beautifully in emerald green and gold, 'Esmeralda's'.

It would have been difficult for any other man with a limp to open a door with a cane, a bad leg and a substantially fragile and heavy parcel in his hands, but Mr. Gold was not just any man, he managed to do so just fine and in style. He walked in and he had to admit, it was a beautiful premise, very attractive and clean. There was also something oddly comfortable about it. The counters were shiny and clean, there was a slight perfume in the air, soothing almost. The sections were clearly apart, there were couches and mirrors, and everything was decorated in emerald greens, dull golds and silvers. He liked it very much.

He walked in and looked around and spotted two of the shopkeepers immediately. There was the calm and ever smiling Mr. Gem. Mr. Gem was an interesting character, head full of brown hair which was always brushed back, grey eyes which never missed a detail, a smile which put everyone at ease and a mind which was very sharp. Mr. Tobias Gem had been working for the late Mr. Steele when he was still green behind the ear, and now he happily worked for Miss Steele. Tobias Gem also had a wife named Tessa Gem who was a nurse.

Mr. Gem did not show it, but Mr. Gold knew immediately that Mr. Gem was quite surprised to see Mr. Gold in the shop and like any wise man would, Mr. Gem saw this as an ominous sign. Either that or something big was about to happen, Mr. Gem thought. At least Miss Steele was more than capable of handling people like Mr. Gold, if not, then Caleb was only a speed dial away. Mr. Gem was just about to go and greet Mr. Gold, but he halted for two reasons, the first being that Mr. Gold only had eyes for Miss Steele who was lounging at a couch, flipping through a design file.

Mr. Gem did not like the way Mr. Gold was hungrily eyeing Miss Steele, but then again Miss Steele was an exceptionally beautiful woman and every single man stared at her. Mr. Gem himself had seen the girl grow up from a gangly teenager to a young woman and was a little protective over her, in fact his dear wife Tessa who had at one point baby-sat Miss Steele, was protective over her too, but he had seen how she was raised, she was quite capable of taking care of herself. But still the thought of Mr. Gold churned his stomach just a little; Mr. Gold was slowly shuffling away towards his lounging boss.

The second reason for Mr. Gem's halted actions was Miss Steele herself. She had briefly looked up to see who the new customer was and immediately she did a double take and then glared. Mr. Gem almost shivered, that was the look befitting Medusa. How on earth did Mr. Gold not turn to stone already? Then in Miss Steele most scathing voice he heard her greet him, "My declination of your invitation to your shop did not mean for you to invite yourself over to my business premises, old man."

It took all of Mr. Gem's ability to stay calm, but still his mouth dropped open in shock, awe and horror. Fiona, god, little Fiona had just called Mr. Gold an old man to his face. He did not know what he should do, apologize to Mr. Gold on her behalf, stand in front of her as a human shield, call Tessa and inform her of this monumental event, or just start applauding Fiona Steele's iron spine. Miss Steele knew no fear. He was awaiting Mr. Gold's fearsome rebuttal, but what happened next, shocked him even more.

Mr. Gold smirked and retorted, "I thought you wanted to see what I had in store for you, dearie. Backing out already?"

Mr. Gold watched, she did not move a muscle, still lounging lazily with her file across her crossed legs, she didn't even stand as she glared at him from her seat. As if he was an unwanted disturbance, but not of much significance, she was not irate enough to make an effort to rid of him, either that or the fact that she was waiting for him to show his hand for her to make her own move. Oh such insolence and arrogance, she was so different in this world than the other. In the other world, she was so very different. There was one thing both of them did not fail at though, which was challenging him, challenging him to the very limits, just in different ways. He smirked darkly, oh he was fine with this.

She gave him a look that was so snooty that he almost burst out laughing. She narrowed her green eyes at him and raised her chin ever so slightly in a challenging manner. Mr. Gold eyed her intensely, challenging or not, she only managed to give him an even better view of her magnificent assets down her top. Just for the sake of not coming on as too much of a letch, he roamed his eyes on the file on her lap, it looked like drawings, exquisite and very precise drawings of jewelry. He flicked his eyes back when he heard her say, voice full of arrogance and the perfect tone of order, "Take a seat and name your reason for your presence in my neck of the woods, Mr. Gold. Also, please don't beat around the bush, I haven't the time to waste."

Bossy little thing she was, wasn't she? Very well, he could handle this side of her as well. He placed the parcel on one of the counters and then took a seat right across her. The seats really were comfortable, he noticed. Then he stated business as usual, "Very well, in the parcel on the counter are some of the items I plan on selling to some clients and the clients obviously want them in pristine condition. This is where your business comes in, Miss Steele. I want for you to repair the pieces of jewelry in the parcel. Some of the stones in the pieces are missing as well, the jewelry being antiques pieces; I want them to be replaced."

What Mr. Gold expected was questions, or any sort of interest in the jewelry, really. He had very specifically put together a box full of gorgeous antique jewelry pieces meant to impress her. They were things that would catch her eye and build some sort of a connection with him, however small the connection maybe. It was her job, well a job he was giving her, the least he expected from her was to inspect the pieces then estimate the damage, the work to be done and then bargain about her fee and the materials. Mr. Gold was severely disappointed.

What she did was look at him, well study him more like it with her unwavering green eyes while he said what he had to say and then she blinked. Miss Steele nodded once and then said cold and precise, "Surprising how this is the first time you have needed our services. Assuming you did the repairs on such pieces yourself or asked someone else to do it; you are quite familiar with what needs to be done, the material costs, the labor, etc. Regardless, now you are here and a paying customer. Mr. Gem will see to your jewelry pieces and ensure that the job will be well done."

With that, she gave him a small very professional smile, a small nod and then motioned for Mr. Gem to come over. She stood up and walked away. Mr. Gold watched in surprise. She did not take the bait at all. She did not so much as look at the parcel. Mr. Gold kept his frustration and shock heavily veiled and watched her walk away and behind a door which he knew led to her office.

Mr. Gem came over with an easy smile and a more than helpful attitude, although Mr. Gold did get up and spoke business with Mr. Gem; he glared at Mr. Gem dangerously. Mr. Gem carefully maintained a look of obliviousness.

It seemed that Miss Steele had only managed to make Mr. Gold all the more persistent. Mr. Gem knew instantly that this would not be a job that would be done and forgotten, he would have to see more of Mr. Gold. In fact, Esmeralda's would see more of the infamous pawn broker of Storybrooke. All because of the small fact that Miss Fiona Steele had somehow caught the eye of Mr. Gold for some unknown reason and was now the sole object of said man's attention. Mr. Gem couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, he didn't know if it was a good thing or not. Oh well, at least the jewelry pieces were magnificent and he couldn't wait to start working on them with Miss Steele.

Mr. Gold probably didn't know it, but even though Miss Steele had walked away, she could and definitely would check out these pieces later on and away from Mr. Gold's eyes, to avoid showing him her interest of course.

* * *

Once upon a time in a different world and a land far, far away…

It was dark outside, so late in the night. Talis sat in his seat in front of the fire in his warm and cozy home, but he felt anything but contented. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his usually groomed blonde hair was unkempt, his face bristly and unshaved. He was exhausted, frustrated, irate and very busy brooding; brooding over the impending arrival of the nefarious being who would take away his daughter, the only light from his life soon. In three nights to be exact. Talis was not a happy man.

He had been sitting there for hours, missed out on dinner as well. A part of him regretted missing out on his daughter's delicious cooking, but another part of him started mourning instantly at the thought of not having his daughter's delicious cooking in the future. How he would be deprived of his precious daughter! How did fathers all over the kingdom do it, give away their daughters so easily, be it marriage or for anything else. How could they? He missed his Nora so much, she would know just the right thing to say to him at this point.

It was the soft touch of a familiar warm hand ruffling his hair a little that broke him out of his daze. He sighed as his visitor took a seat on the floor by his knees. His visitor sighed, well mock-sighed and then said, "You didn't eat dinner I so laboriously worked over, I see."

Talis grumbled, "It's not that I didn't eat it, it's just that it slipped my mind."

The young woman before him gave him an innocent look and added, "Yes, because brooding in front of the fire is so very productive."

Talis protested, "I am not brooding, I am thinking. Oh do give me some respect, daughter mine."

His daughter clicked her tongue and replied smartly, "I am showing you respect. By not pulling you by the ear to the table and not treating you like the sullen little boy you are truly acting like, I am showing you plenty of respect. Really Papa, this is most unbecoming of you."

Talis huffed a little, although the smile on his lips gave away the fact that he really liked it when his child fussed over him. He lied, very unconvincingly, "Maybe I was waiting on you, for you to come home and have dinner with me."

She merely swept away a few dark errant curls off her face and reminded, "I told you that I had a delivery to make and that I would have dinner out. That was why I cooked before I left and told you to eat it on time. You know very well how much your skipping meals irk me."

Talis did not reply back. He remembered, but he was in no mood to eat. His daughter held his rough hand in both of her hands and coaxed, "Papa, please if not for your own health, then for my sanity and peace of mind, please keep track of your meals. Eat them on time and keep yourself healthy. Please."

Talis squeezed her hand and nodded half-heartedly. Fallon sighed and said softly, "When I won't be here, I need to be sure that you are taking care of yourself. You told me to always maintain constant vigilance when I go away for my deals or for this new adventure I am supposed to embark on, Papa. But how can I do that when I am constantly worried about you starving yourself and brooding in front of the fire?"

Talis, like a petulant child did not answer for a few moments, but then simply said, "It won't be an adventure, Fallon."

Fallon sighed and agreed mockingly, "Of course, it won't be an adventure, father dearest, the perilous journey of Fallon and her companion, Ciardha, then."

Talis grumbled, "I wish things were different."

Fallon clicked her tongue and said patronizingly, "What was that lesson you taught me, Papa? Ah, yes, be very careful what you wish for. Magic always comes at a price and wishes have a way of turning on you."

Talis snorted, "You are such a smart-aleck sometimes, Fallon."

Fallon nodded, "Yes, Mama always said I got it from you, but nonetheless I am right. If things were different, you know very well that I would have had a terrible ending. In fact, everyone would have a terrible ending. No turning back now, Papa."

Talis asked softly and a little defeated, "Are you not scared?"

Fallon answered honestly, grasping her father's hand, "Scared, yes I am, just a little. I am more determined, actually. Being scared never stopped me from doing the things that I did and they sure as hell will not stop me from doing the things I will do."

Her father caressed her hair and murmured affectionately, "You're a bull-headed one, daughter mine."

His daughter laughed a light and almost tinkling laugh that managed to soothe his bruised heart and retorted, "Some may say that I got that from you, father mine."

Talis sighed and said mournfully, "You know I might not have sired you and Nora might not have carried you, but we did and do love you like our own. Never think that we raised you to follow this journey."

Fallon frowned and clutched onto her father's hand tightly and protested, "I am insulted Papa that you would think that I needed such reassurance. I know how much you and Mama loved me, love me. I lived my life happy and very much satisfied, Papa. I don't believe that I am not your daughter. You are my sire and Mama was the one who carried me, that is how you have both loved me."

A tear slipped out Talis' eye as he breathed out haggardly. Fallon pressed her lips to her father's hand and said, "Always remember father mine, you showed me all sorts of roads. You are not the one who is making me walk down this path. I am choosing it. That's how strong a daughter you have raised. I am the daughter of That Dark One, Talis the great Dragon Slayer and the best father in all the kingdoms."

Talis reached out and hugged his daughter tight. Fallon returned the hug and after a while they separated, feeling a little bit stronger and calmer. They were staring at the fire together when Talis asked, "How is magic treating you?"

Fallon replied nonchalantly, "Good as usual. You know how magic from anywhere and everywhere gets attracted to my body. I feel like a pole that attracts lightening sometimes."

Talis shook his head and asked, "No, I meant if you body is handling it well enough or is it getting too much for you to handle?"

Fallon sighed and murmured, "Do not worry, Papa. All is well. Magic likes me, as you can see my body has not a scratch on it despite all my dangerous adventures and has not aged a day since I turned twenty. My body is handling magic pouring into it just fine and you and I both know it has something to do with the whispers you hear. I think they blessed me or granted me a talent. So far I haven't needed to pay a price for magic, magic acts on its own for my interests. I just assess situations and act accordingly."

Talis nodded, "Good. I just wanted to make sure."

Fallon smiled, "Well, the whispers are going to make sure you survive to see me come out of all of this unharmed, they promised that much. So do not worry."

Talis stated coldly, "They damn well should make sure of that. I promised your mother I would see that you survive this and get a happy ending. So if the whispers want you, then they have to make sure I get to see that you complete your journey and then get a happy ending."

Fallon whispered softly, "Yes and I always need to know that you are safe somewhere and watching over me with your visions. I just need to know your there supporting me somewhere. Your love and support gives me the strength of a hundred men, you know Papa."

Talis teased to ease her mood, "Such a flattering daughter I have."

Fallon nodded and replied sagely, "Yes, I got that from my mother. You see, my father unfortunately had the charms of a boulder."

Talis mock-chided her, "Insolent daughter!"

Fallon retorted, "Petulant father!"

Both of them laughed for a few moments, feeling a whole lot lighter and relaxed. Finally Talis murmured, "He is going to be here in three nights, Fallon!"

Fallon raised an eyebrow, "Who? Rumpelstiltskin?"

Talis nodded, on any other occasion he would have given a sarcastic reply, but he couldn't manage it now. Fallon nudged her father's knees with her arm and asked, "Why worry about that imp? I already know what I need to know about him and am very much prepared for him."

Talis replied softly, "I am your father, I will always worry."

Fallon asked curiously, "Even if you saw everything and knew what exactly would happen?"

Talis answered firmly, "Even then."

Fallon nodded, "I suppose that is how parents show their love for their children."

Talis nodded. After a few more moments of silence Fallon nodded, "I will be sure to give dear old Rumpelstiltskin hell then."

Talis barked out a laugh and agreed, "Oh, he has no idea what he is coming for!"

Fallon giggled and said, "You know how the tales and rumors about the Masked Rider have spread throughout the kingdoms? Especially in these parts of the lands?"

Talis nodded and snorted and added, "Rumpelstiltskin thinks it's me!"

Fallon giggled and nudged him again, "Yes, he thinks your ruining his business in these parts of the lands. No one will go to him with problems and making deals if the Masked Rider keeps on solving their problems for a small fee."

Talis chuckled, "He is so out of the loop. I really cannot wait to see his face when he finds out."

Fallon asked impishly, "Why? You have seen it already in your dreams!"

Talis barked out in laughter once more as he remembered and replied impishly, "Oh but it doesn't do justice to the real thing, my darling daughter."

They both remained grinning like two devils and a voice that only Talis ever heard whispered softly, "For an adoptive child, she looks eerily like you, Talis when you two smile like that, that old mad grin of That Dark One."


	8. Late Nite Visitor and Thinking At Dawn

Hello Readers! Here, is the next chapter. In this one we do find our favorite deal-making imp, finally. I hope you like it. Writing Rumpelstiltskin is a bit more difficult than writing Mr. Gold and writing Mr. Gold is difficult as it is.

Also, I kind of made a set on what Fiona was wearing in the last chapter, in the Granny's, book shop and Esmeralda's scene. The link is below, please add polyvore dot com before the link below and check it out. Thanks!

emeralds_golds/set?id=52000875

Anyway, Please do Review! Happy Reading!

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time...**

**Of Emeralds and Golds**

**Chapter Seven**

(Once upon a time in a different world and a far, far away land…)

Talis waited, the night was dark and so very still. He could feel the magic brewing all around him in every little object. Normal people did not know, but there was magic in almost everything, however miniscule amount, but the magic was always there. It was this kind of magic that was attracted to his daughter's body. His daughter was a very special woman. But the magic that night, oh how it had a little ominous tint to it. It was very slight and no one would notice it, but Talis did. He was good at this sort of thing. Also, he detected a familiar and frankly, repulsive taste to the magic as well. It was familiar because once upon a time, his own magic had a similar taste, the taste of the dark magic that clung to every Dark One. That was the night. He was coming; in fact he was very near.

His daughter was out about that night, like she usually was; nothing to be alarmed about, although normal fathers with daughters would disagree with him vehemently. But no father was him and they had no daughters like his Fallon. Fallon had Ciardha with her and her weapons. She knew how to take care of herself and Ciardha was extremely protective over her and that beast was more than an average horse. His late wife loved that horse dearly, as if another child.

He had dreamt of this night for years and as it should be he was very much prepared for it. His confidence and mask in check, but the worry still bubbled in his stomach. This was where all his centuries as a Dark One kept him in form. No one could tell that Talis was even the slightest bit unhinged. The truth was, he was very, very much otherwise. Which father wouldn't be in his place? He was about to give away his daughter to a dastardly insane dark magician.

He ate his dinner early that night, as his daughter had requested, and was now waiting calmly in front of the fire. He knew exactly which spot he would appear magically. He had seen it hundreds of times in his dreams after all. He would appear, very casually, well as casual as a mad man could be, right by the window. He sighed and waited with his eyes closed. He remembered all the good memories of himself with his darling wife, Nora and his adorable daughter, Fallon, all the things that made him stronger.

A common misconception that most people had and Talis heavily disagreed with was that having loved ones was a liability. Having loved ones made one stronger, there was no force anywhere that could make one so strong as to when you have to fight for your loved ones, there was nothing that could make one so determined, so fired up as to protect one's loved ones, to keep them safe, and there was nothing more worthwhile than to do things that made one's loved ones truly happy. That was what Nora and later Fallon taught him. He was a man who had truly lived his life and it was all because of the two most important women in his life. It was the most important lesson he had learned in all of his long centuries.

He was thinking about the time he had not informed his sweet Nora about the fact that their little daughter would be bringing home a huge beast of a horse home, one that was magical and could talk. Oh how absolutely angry his wife had been with him, in fact she had made him sleep in the stable that night. The next day though, after a very good apology from him, she had forgiven him. The making up part was fun; he remembered everything about her and quite vividly at that. Nora had given him almost three decades of happiness and love which made up for the centuries of darkness, misery and loneliness he had endured. He sat there and remembered and basked in his memories.

That was when he heard it, the most inaudible of sounds, a slight whoosh; he only heard it because of his slightly superior senses and because of the fact that he was expecting it and then there was that heady feel of that repulsive and sticky magic that could only come from one source that night. He was here.

A giggle that was a little too high pitched to be a man's, a little too deep to be a woman's, infinitely more insane to sound like a child's and definitely too spine-tingly to be a non-magical person's, reached his ears and he sighed. The irritating imp was here and he was in the mood to be more annoying than usual and Talis did not need his visions or the voices in the air to know that.

"Tsk tsk tsk. I am hurt, Talis. Is this the dreary welcome you give to your old friends?"

Talis did not bother opening his eyes or even move a muscle, although the way he pronounced his name, hissing out the 'is' from 'Talis' grated on his raw nerves, he replied calmly, "Since when did Rumpelstiltskin become anyone's friend, let alone mine?"

Rumpelstiltskin mock-gasped clutching onto his chest and then exclaimed in that same annoying high-pitched tone, "Why-here I thought I was one of your dearest friends! I did after all give you, your precious daughter!"

Talis finally opened his eyes and replied, "You did give me my precious daughter, but that did not and does not make you my friend. It was a deal and you got your price."

Rumpelstiltskin hummed and then jumped up and twirled around looking all over the place. Then he taunted, "My my, Talis your humble little abode does smell so much of magic. Don't tell me you have been a naughty boy!"

Talis deadpanned, "Fine, I won't tell you then."

It wasn't even the barest of seconds when Rumpelstiltskin reacted, he leapt up, clutching onto the armrests of Talis' chair, digging in his dirty claw-like fingernails, he snarled inches away from Talis' calm face, "Don't test me, Talis!"

Talis didn't bat an eyelash, he wouldn't show fear to the likes of Rumpelstiltskin. It wasn't because he already knew the outcome of the night from his visions; no, that wasn't it. Talis did not react simply because he knew exactly how volatile the mood swings of Dark Ones were. He knew exactly how one switched from clear thinking to sheer insanity. Whereas Rumpelstiltskin was prone to fits of rage and sadistic delight, Talis in his time was prone to crippling depression and also fits of rage. So he did what he knew would work, he did not react to Rumpelstiltskin's threat. Mostly because he knew that this was Rumpelstiltskin simply showing his bark, his bite was much worse. Rumpelstiltskin was trying to intimidate him.

After a few tense moments, Rumpelstiltskin burst into giggles and twirled away. He roamed around looking through the room, poking at things, opening cupboards, flipping through books, looking under the rugs, and doing such things, after a while he took a seat on a nearby chair. Talis had to control himself to not tense up and grit his teeth, that seat was Fallon's seat. He was humming, bidding his time away and Talis knew exactly what he wanted. But he did not take the bait.

Rumpelstiltskin wanted Talis to demand the reason for his visit, but Talis kept mum and calm. To goad Talis on, Rumpelstiltskin drawled out obnoxiously, "You look old, Talis!"

Talis blinked, of course he looked old; it had been over twenty-five years since Rumpelstiltskin last saw him. He had a few grays in his blonde hair and lots of lines around his eyes, mouth and on his forehead. Talis merely replied, "I am old."

Rumpelstiltskin gave him a mock look of realization, complete with the wide eyes and dropped mouth and then started cackling madly. Then he giggled out, "So was your true love worth losing your immortality and power, Oh Great Dragonslayer?"

Talis finally broke out of his monotone mood and smiled wide, staring into the fire, he remembered his Nora's sweet face and replied, "More than worth it. I was married to her for over three decades, after all. I would do it all over again."

Rumpelstiltskin sneered at him. He seethed, such lovey-dovey talk made his teeth ache. True love was more of a curse than all the other curses out there; it was a weakness and a disease that crippled the strongest of people and drove the sanest of people to utter madness. Rumpelstiltskin jeered, "She dead then?"

That should have enraged any man, but Talis wasn't just any man. Sure on the inside he wanted to beat Rumpelstiltskin black and blue for being so disrespectful about his deceased wife, but he knew that that was exactly what Rumpelstiltskin was aiming for. So Talis just turned to look at him and then answered simply, "Yes, she died."

Rumpelstiltskin asked in his annoying whiny tone, "Why, couldn't you resort to any mean to save the love of your life, Talis? Was your love so fickle? Was her life not worth any price? Why didn't you use the magic you are practicing now?"

Talis blinked, if he was a Dark One like so long ago, he would have been cryptic and just as annoying as Rumpelstiltskin with his answer, but he was a man then and a man with a mission so he answered simply, "She had the same sickness her father had. She had lived her life and wanted to go on peacefully. Using magic on her for whatever price would have made her very unhappy. It was her wish."

Rumpelstiltskin just had to add salt to the wound as he giggled madly, "Oh yes, you are all about wishes, aren't you Talis?"

Talis only murmured softly, "So it would seem."

All of a sudden the mad imp jumped up and started sniffing around. Talis watched with carefully hidden extreme agitation and a sort of morbid curiosity as Rumpelstiltskin zipped here to there and everywhere around the room and to the dining table, sniffing. He cooed, "Oh, what is that deeeee-licious smell? Cake? Cake? Oh, I know it is cake! Where is it?"

Talis sighed haggardly, pinching the bridge of his nose as Rumpelstiltskin rushed off to the kitchen and started riffling through everything looking for this cake. Talis knew which cake he was referring to, it was the one Fallon had baked that afternoon before she left. The one she planned on eating after she returned, God forbid if Rumpelstiltskin finished off all of the cake, Fallon would rip his face off. That girl was murderously possessive of her sweets. He sat there listening to the banging and clanging and clattering going on in the kitchen. Finally, Rumpelstiltskin hopped right back in, happily chomping on a huge piece of cake. Talis sighed, there goes Fallon's berry-cake, she was so eager to eat that when she got home with a tall glass of warm milk.

Rumpelstiltskin was burying the huge piece of cake in his mouth and chewing and swallowing it obnoxiously, sounding like he was killing something alive with his mouth, and Talis watched with morbid fascination. In between shoveling cake in his mouth, chewing with his mouth open and swallowing, he seemed to be saying something along the lines of, "Good Cake!"

After a few moments he was done, Talis was very grateful for that, he didn't know if he could have handled watching more of that. Rumpelstiltskin sighed happily, patting his stomach, he chuckled, "That was good cake. Simply deeeelicious!"

Talis nodded once, "Thank you. My daughter made it."

Rumpelstiltskin gasped very loudly and sat right up in his seat, he looked around and then asked a little suspiciously, "Yes, where is that daughter of yours?"

The way he said daughter, he might as well have said snake. Talis had to use all his self-restraint to not smile or chuckle. Rumpelstiltskin still remembered the tiny babe who cried so loud that it scared him. Talis casually replied, "She is visiting a friend."

Rumpelstiltskin gave him a look full of ill-humor and a smile that was just too suggestive, he exclaimed eagerly, "At this time of the night? Oh, what naughty little deeds is that daughter of yours up to, Talis?"

Talis once more, did not take the bait. He answered dryly, "I shall ask her once she comes home then."

Rumpelstiltskin narrowed his eyes at him and whined out, "You're no fun!"

Talis could feel the glare from his eyes. Even though Rumpelstiltskin's words were light, his eyes said how much irate he was about the fact that Talis was not taking a single bait of his. Rumpelstiltskin watched him with those eerie murky eyes, the fire making the slight gold in his gold-green skin, shimmer very lightly and his lips were twisted up in a knowing smile. After moments of watching, Rumpelstiltskin said in his nails-on-chalkboard voice, "There is a fassscccinating rumor going on these parts of the kingdom, did you know about it?"

Talis gave him an unwavering stare and answered dryly, "No, but please do, enlighten me."

Rumpelstiltskin gave out a very high pitched giggle, "Why, it would be my pleasure, dearie!"

With that he jumped off his seat and came close to Talis, just a few feet away and the light making his face look more sinister than normal if that was possible. When he started talking, his voice was almost a whisper, but so very clear and held a menace in it that would have chilled Talis' bones if he had not been prepared for it, "There is a new dealmaker in these parts of the lands, they say. A problem solver, who helps people in need for a mere price in gold. Sometimes not even that. They say he is a Dark One. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, now would you, dear Talis?"

Talis looked straight into his eyes, not faltering in any manner and replied, "I don't know anything about another Dark One, other than you, Rumpelstiltskin. You are the last one, you very well know that."

Talis sneered on the inside, he didn't lie, but he didn't answer him properly either. Rumpelstiltskin tilted his head and kept on looking at Talis with unblinking murky eyes, as if searching for something. Finally Rumpelstiltskin sneered, "They say he is a tall dark man with magic and he rides on a very large black horse and wears black armor. What do you say about that, Talis?"

Talis shrugged and replied somewhat interestedly, "Sounds like every other hunter, sellsword, mercenary or thug who does shady things for coin."

Rumpelstiltskin glared and bit out, "Really, Talis? You have nothing to add to that? I would be very dis-appointed if I found out otherwise later on."

Talis raised his eyebrows and asked in a very slight affronted manner, "What are you trying to accuse me of, Rumpelstiltskin? Better yet, why do the rumors of a thug for hire concern you this much?"

Rumpelstiltskin suddenly and quite viciously swiped away the small table beside him which had a few books on it, crashing it on the floor and he snarled out, spittles flying from his mouth as he barred his dirty teeth at Talis, "Because this Dark Rider is bad for my business. No one will make deals with me if they are not desperate enough and this new Dark One is making all sorts of deals with them. They are happier with his deals than mine and I will not have it!"

Talis kept himself unfazed by the imp's ferocious outburst and answered calmly, "So, go and search out this Dark One imposter and demand for answers!"

Rumpelstiltskin suddenly snapped his gaze over to him, watching him for a few moments, and then he threw his head back and cackled madly. Holding onto his stomach he kept on giggling, finally he spat out, "That's why I am here, Talis dear. To find out if those old itches of yours have been acting up again. You still do magic, so why can't you be the new Dark One, eh?"

Talis stared at him straight, pretending to be a little dazed and then snorted loudly and said, "I am an old man, Rumpelstiltskin. Things like that are out of my league. I have even cut back on my hours at the smithy."

Rumpelstiltskin kept on staring at him, Talis stared right back and few moments later Talis leaned up from his seat and said, "Why don't you use your powers to see if I am lying? Go on, use your sight and look into my life, Seer."

Rumpelstiltskin remained immobile and Talis pretended to remember, he hit the armrest of his chair and exclaimed lightly, "Oh that's right, you can't see into my life. Your sight does not work on me because of my past being a Dark One. Is that it? Is that why you are interrogating me simply because you cannot see into me?"

Rumpelstiltskin growled low and then returned to his seat. Sitting there he glowered at Talis who shook his head slightly and relaxed again. Rumpelstiltskin growled, his words had the tinge that of a petulant child, "This sorry excuse of a hunter is spoiling everything. He is going around saving people and getting them things. People are both scared of him and whisper praises of him."

Talis ran his hand through his long hair and sighed. He said to Rumpelstiltskin in a slightly helpful manner, "Maybe you should talk to my daughter about it. She might know something about that. She had a lot of hold over this village."

Rumpelstiltskin snapped his head so fast to look at Talis, it was simply comical, as was his expression. Rumpelstiltskin looked at Talis as if Talis admitted that he was in fact a woman. Rumpelstiltskin repeated in awe, "You want me to talk to your daughter? Me? Your daughter?"

Talis nodded. Rumpelstiltskin murmured, still a bit surprised, "No one wants me around there daughter let alone talk to them."

He narrowed his eyes at Talis and demanded, "Why? You know of my reputation. You should be hiding your daughter from me, not setting up a tea party with me and her!"

Talis shrugged and replied, "I am not setting up a tea party. I am telling you to talk to her. She is very much capable of taking care of herself, I need not worry or fear."

Rumpelstiltskin threatened, "I could make a deal with her. Then what shall you do?"

Talis snorted, "My daughter is just that, my daughter, the daughter of a Dark One. If you think she doesn't know and understand magic, then you are very much mistaken, Rumpelstiltskin. She knows very well that there is always a price for using magic. I reckon, she has enough sense and brains in her little head to decide better. All I am saying to you is that, she might be the one who knows something about this Dark One."

Rumpelstiltskin was silent, calculating as he stared daggers at Talis, who sat there nonchalantly. Finally he sneered, "Could this Dark One possibly be your girl's lover?"

He fully expected Talis to be very insulted, to jump up and throw a punch at him for even thinking of dishonorable thoughts about his daughter, but all Talis did was shrug in that same insufferable manner and say, "Could be, I wouldn't know. Like I said, ask her."

Rumpelstiltskin was seething on the inside at Talis' indifference. He idly thought that maybe the death of his wife had made him so detached to the world with so little emotions or reactions. So he gave Talis a shark's grin and asked, "Is this your permission for me to go and hunt down your daughter, Talis?"

Talis rolled his eyes and replied, "You could do that or you could just wait for an hour or two, my daughter will be home soon."

Rumpelstiltskin merely snorted, but he did wait. Talis sat in his chair, staring into the fires and Rumpelstiltskin took to roaming around the hose, poking around things and messing everything around. There was even a time when Rumpelstiltskin went through all the metal work, the finished products that Talis had in the house, looking for black armor. Talis grinned to himself; Rumpelstiltskin wouldn't find any black armor. The only black armor that he did make and imbibed with magic was not in the house but out and about. Also, when Rumpelstiltskin went searching his stable for a big black horse, once more Talis hid his grin; in the stable was only two horses. A red-brown mare which belonged to his neighbor once who sold her to him last week and his old grey horse, Thunder. Rumpelstiltskin returned looking a little crestfallen. Apparently he thought he could catch Talis in his lies. The thing was that, Talis wasn't lying. Well, he wasn't telling the truth of course, but he wasn't lying either.

They waited for just a little over an hour when both Talis' and Rumpelstiltskin's superior senses picked up an odd sound. The continuous dull thuds in a rhythmic pattern that could only belong to a horse galloping, Talis' eyes hardened, this was the moment. Rumpelstiltskin on the other hand felt the oddest sensation, something akin to excitement, heady magic and anticipation boiling in his stomach. It was a feeling but he just knew that something big was coming his way and it would change everything. He tried to look with his sight, but all he got was a lot of fog and haze. It seemed that the future of this unknown rider was hidden to him just as his own was.

He snarled at Talis, "Who is that?"

They were both looking out the back window, at the forest, where a figure on a horse appeared. It was difficult to see anything in the dark, dark night, but the figure and the horse slowed down and made their way into Talis' stable. Talis gave him a smile which was a little disconcerting, he had after all never seen so much happiness on the usually stoic ex-Dark One's face. Talis declared happily, "Why, it's my daughter. She is home. Would you like me to introduce you to her, Rumpelstiltskin?"

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(Eight years before Emma Swan arrives in the sleepy town of Storybrooke…)

It was about five-five-thirty in the morning when she woke up; she had slept for about four and half hours that night. She never did get much sleep, but it worked out for her and that was just fine. She never got sick from it so she saw no reason to seek out medical help for her little sleeping problem.

She lazily stretched in her bed and after a few more minutes of soaking in the soft feel of the unbelievably high-thread count of her Egyptian cotton sheet on her skin, she slipped out of her bed. She brushed her teeth, washed her face and brushed out her long dark hair, then proceeded to walk around in her house, making mental plans for her day. Mrs. Farrell or Marty as she liked to call her would be arriving sometime around seven and get her breakfast ready, so she walked around her house. Sometimes her house felt too large and too lonely. She especially missed her Daddy and her Mommy. When they were around things were so very different and the house had felt alive. But now, she felt almost lost in her own loneliness.

She walked barefoot on the cold floor and made her way to the kitchen. She fixed herself a mug of coffee and picked a book. She knew she wouldn't actually be paying much attention to the book, she had other thoughts on her mind, but holding a book offered her a sort of comfort. She walked back to her room and opened the big glass doors to her balcony. The morning was cold, crisp and the air felt good on her skin, she was willing to bet that the slight warmth from the rising sun would feel even better on her skin. She liked sitting up here on some mornings when she woke up too early.

She dropped her book on a table and instead of sitting in the chairs; she half-leaned-half sat on the railing and watched the street and the nearby trees. The warmth from her coffee was soothing and the taste was incredible, she sighed and looked at everything and at the same time nothing.

While most people tried to at least think about good things in the morning, Fiona Steele on that particular morning was thinking about dreadful thing. Well, a person rather than a thing, to be frank. Her thoughts were circling around the most devious man of the town. One Mr. Gold, who for some unknown reason was paying extra attention to her.

All the years that she lived in Storybrooke, she never had come across Mr. Gold, let alone talk to him, and there he was for the last month almost stalking her. He was everywhere she went. She didn't even need to look for him, just around the corner of her eye he would always be. It was getting on her nerves, his taunting smile, those brown-hazel eyes so paralyzing and incredibly disgusting when he leered at her. She could sometimes feel him looking at her in a way that made it seem that he had x-ray vision and was actually looking at her naked body.

His annoying too perfect clothing, and those gloves, everything about him grated on her nerves. So what if he had a smooth voice and his accent was kind of, just a little exotic and attractive? The fact of the matter was that his words and intentions were malicious, always. Even when he was being nice, anyone sane would know that he was pretending. He definitely had some ulterior motive for trying to target her in such a manner.

She glowered into nothing as she gulped down more hot coffee, she hated his hair. She fantasized putting a few chewing gums in that all too perfect and so clearly high-lighted, straightened and hair-sprayed hair. There was that gold tooth of his which always seemed to glint at her in synch with his glinting eyes when he smiled at her charmingly. His charms worked as well as a black mamba on her. She still shuddered when she remembered the feel of his warm lips on her hand. Oh how she scrubbed her hand raw with hand sanitizer.

She was the second richest person in Storybrooke, richer than even Mayor Mills. Although, her recent success with the orders from a certain group of actresses and models did make her possibly richer than Mr. Gold, but she would never ever sit down with him to compare their bank account statements and asset evaluations. She had no business with Mr. Gold other than the recent pieces he brought to her shop to be fixed. Now there was the smelly business, why the sudden reason for Mr. Gold to start adding himself into her business in no matter how small a way?

Her shop belonged to her, her business did not have any loans to be paid off, her houses, apartments, cabins, cars, and everything belonged to her. So what could Mr. Gold possibly want? She had been thinking over this for some time now and still came up with only ludicrous of theories and none of them plausible in reality at all.

There was that day when Mr. Gold had been hounding her since the morning, first at Granny's, then at Isabel's shop and then at her own shop. He had taken his stalking to another level with the constant teasing and cornering. The letch of an old man even took the books she was looking at. He infuriated her to all her limits and over.

There was also that, he was an old pervert of a man and she always noticed his indecent and persistent ogling of her body. She took another sip of her coffee and turned to glare at a house she could see a bit far away, the stupid pink colored house that belonged to none other than the old letch with the stupidly perfect hair.

It always satisfied her to see his house; he lived in a pink house. That was fucking hilarious and the next time he would goad her, she would bring that up. The devil of the town living in a big pink house that looked like it belonged to Barbie. She idly wondered why he didn't get a bigger house that suited his personality more. She smirked as a vision of the house from Addam's Family came to her mind. It would definitely suit him.

She remembered, albeit a little hazily, as a child she had seen Mr. Gold around many times around the town, but he never seemed to notice her. Even after she turned eighteen, so why was he so focused on her now that she was in her mid-twenties? What could he want from her now?

There was a very dark thought brewing in her mind, a thought that she did not even want to keep in her mind let alone entertain, but the possibility of it being true all depended on her next interactions with Mr. Gold. And she knew that there would be many interactions with him. The last few days, he had been in every place she had been at and he tried to make conversation with her. She smiled gleefully, tried being the operative word. She had managed to avoid him and disappear whenever he even tried to make a move. A few times she even hid nearby and watched his frustrated expressions. That had been fun and very satisfying.

He was playing a sort of cat and mouse game with her, taunting her and challenging her. She had called him out on his intentions from the very beginning, but he still didn't give out anything.

Fiona knew very well how attractive she was physically. She was not being arrogant, vain or even immodest when she said that there wasn't one single man in the town who did not want her. She was a very desirable woman, her business associates in Boston had propositioned her numerous times, and in fact being propositioned by single or otherwise, male or female was a very common thing to her. She never accepted any of those propositions of course. She just never felt that spark, the one that existed between her parents, so she never got into a relationship with anyone. There was also the matter of her not being able to connect with anyone and her tendency of living alone. Her foster brother, Caleb whom she loved dearly lived nearby and not with her.

She knew Mr. Gold was very much attracted to her body and possibly wanted to sleep with her. The thought disgusted and enraged her. The sheer audacity of the old man left her fuming. The dark thought lingered though, she was an attractive single woman with a large inheritance and a very successful business and also the only business he had no control over. He owned most of the town and was the shadiest business man ever, his business deals never worked in anyone's favor other than his own. He was also an old man who was single.

She clutched her coffee mug tightly, oh god, he was checking her out as a prospective. She would be the perfect trophy wife for him and it was logical for him to think that it was about time he got married and had a few brats to carry on his name and what better woman to marry than her? She was the town's most eligible bachelorette. She got that title after Mayor Mills adopted that baby boy.

She wanted to throw up as her stomach churned. She wouldn't even consider dating him let alone marrying the letch of an old man. She couldn't see herself loving someone like him, and she would never marry unless it was for love. No matter what kind of an angle he worked on her, manipulated her or offered her, she would never marry him. She would settle for nothing less than what her parents had and she would wait for it, no matter how long it took for her to find it.

For now he hadn't made a move, so she was still safe. But when he did, she would be prepared and would outwit him, she was after all a Steele and no shady perverted businessman like Gold could beat her.

She glared into the sky, planned, conspired and fantasized about torturing Mr. Gold and that put a small smile on her lips.

Unknowingly to her, in a salmon colored house right across her, through a window with the help of a well placed telescope, the man in her thoughts watched her. Yes, Mr. Gold had started waking up earlier than his usual time ever since he figured out that his Miss Steele always woke up before six in the morning. Usually he had time to shower, get dressed, have his breakfast and then come to his telescope to see where she was wandering around in the house if his telescope provided a view. But this morning he was lucky and it was a brilliant start to his morning.

This was the first time he had seen her come to the balcony so early in the morning and sit there for such a long time. It seemed like she was enjoying the view and the morning or was lost in her thoughts. He was so lost in watching her, his entire morning routine was thrown off and he didn't mind one bit. So what if he too was in his night attire and robe, with his mug of tea watching her? He was quite happy with how in synch their morning was that day.

She leaned against the railing in the most sensual way, he grinned, if he was like he was in the past, he would have been climbing her walls every night to enter her bedroom via that very balcony. Her choice in her sleepwear was as always a very delicious sight. Usually he had a very unclear vision of her night attire, but in the clear light of the dawn and in the openness of her balcony, he had a much clearer sight and what a sight it was. She had her long hair in a loose braid; she had on some kind of a deep necked top with little shorts in some kind of a silky material. The color of her top and shorts suited her beautiful pale skin very well, it was a vibrant purple and on her it looked positively luscious. The robe she had draped over herself with the ties open was also of a silk-like material and in the same color.

This was great inspiration for his future endeavors with her. In future he would most definitely get her dainty sleeping attire in the same color; of course, they wouldn't stay on her body for long, but still, everyone like a beautifully wrapped gift. The fun was in unwrapping it to get to the present within after all. Those little shorts ended long above her knees, somewhere a little above her mid-thighs and he had such a great view of her long pale legs. He could feel himself stirring a little.

That morning he spent staring at her through his looking glass, thinking, planning, complimenting, admiring and fantasizing about the things he would do to his Miss Steele.


	9. Nightmare and The Deal With The Necklace

Dear Readers! Sorry for the late update. Kind of got busy, anyway, better later than never. Here it is the next chapter. Lots of the lechery Mr. Gold, the overtly arrogant Miss Steele, the entirely too fun Ruby and the ever nervous Mr. Gem. I hope you like it and Please Review. Happy Reading and Enjoy!

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time...**

* * *

**Of Emeralds and Golds**

**Chapter Eight**

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**(Eight years before Emma Swan arrives in the sleepy town of Storybrooke…)**

* * *

Fiona was sitting in front of her vanity. There was a small jewelry case there, something that always called to her. She opened it gingerly, she always did like the anticipation of opening a jewelry case, the wait and the excitement of seeing the beautiful treasure that it held within and if a case was ever empty, her mind always jumped into what the case was worthy of holding. It kind of motivated her, her mind whirling around to create a design of a piece that would be worthy enough to be displayed in the case. That was just one of the ways her mind worked.

This burgundy colored case, she gasped held a very dainty and very feminine looking piece in it. It was a very simple white gold necklace, links going round to make a circle and after about every inch, there was a small French cut sapphire with tiny diamonds surrounding it. She could just see it; it would glow magnificently on a pale neck and bring the perfect attention on someone's delicate collar bone. It was very elegant, she idly wondered exactly which woman she designed it for, it was her design for sure, and her gut screamed it.

She was caressing the necklace with her fingers, not even taking it out from the box, still basking in its beauty and examining its craftsmanship, although her mind was constantly slipping and trying to imagine the woman whose neck this sweet necklace would grace. It was a very familiar voice which made her break out of her daze, "Oh come on, Raven! We have like, no time at all to dally around. We gotta get you ready for your big day. Your man is waiting for you, he's gonna think you got cold feet or something! We don't wanna give the poor man a heart attack, now do we?"

She frowned and looked up in shock, straight at the mirror to find her best friend Ruby standing right behind her, fussing with her hair. Fiona opened her mouth to ask what the hell was going on and what did she mean by her man? What big day?

Then she noticed. Ruby was looking very beautiful and very much not her usual self. What was going on? Ruby was dressed in a dark pink knee length dress with dainty ribbon like straps and her hair hadn't her usual scarlet highlights in them, in fact her make-up was light and very tastefully done as well, a far cry from her usual dramatic dark make-up. Fiona shook her head and was going to exclaim her shock at Ruby's appearance, maybe even tease her friend about looking like a different person, when she caught a look at herself in the mirror and froze.

Fiona looked down and screamed. She was wearing a strapless white Grecian style dress which flowed like water down her body and was splashed all over the floor around her. Ruby screamed as well, but in excitement as opposed to Fiona's fear.

Ruby giggled and squealed, "I know. You look so fabulous! I would so cry if it wouldn't ruin my make-up!"

Fiona turned around and grasped Ruby's arms tight and cried out hysterically, "What the fuck is going on?"

Ruby merely smiled adoringly at her, which made Fiona want to punch her best friend. Ruby ran her hands along to Fiona's utter disgust and fear, a very thin and transparent veil which was attached somewhere on Fiona's head and flowed down her back, adjusting it and sighed happily, "Aww, Fiona! You look like a princess and god I am so happy right now to be your maid of honor!"

Fiona screamed once more and wailed, "Fuck my maid of honor! Ruby, I am not getting married! Stop all of this! This isn't funny!"

Ruby seemed to ignore her and forcefully jerked her away. Then she turned Fiona around and gasped loudly, looking through the vanity exclaiming, "We can't have the bride being late. Where is that pesky necklace? That's your something blue, you know!"

Fiona was about to stand up and attack Ruby for answers when Ruby suddenly appeared behind her with the damned necklace she was admiring before and got it around her throat like a tight noose. Fiona had tears in her eyes as she stared at the scared woman looking back at her through the mirror and Ruby kept on smiling like a deranged lunatic.

Ruby kept on smiling at her and cooing at her about how perfect she looked and kept on tightening the necklace around her neck. How she managed to tighten that necklace was confusing to Fiona, but the feeling of metal cutting into her throat and her windpipe being squeezed made her head dizzy and her common sense leave her. All she knew at the point was fear, confusion, pain and more fear.

Fiona wasn't the least bit ashamed to admit the fact that she was close enough to crying hysterically and begging to Ruby to let her go. Fiona wanted to scream for Caleb. Big, strong, protective Caleb who always saved her. Where the fuck was he?

Oh god, somebody had to save her. This couldn't be happening, forcing someone to be a part of a wedding, a bride, that was impossible and highly illegal. Oh god, oh god, oh god!

Ruby was suddenly dragging her by her hands somewhere. She didn't know where, she was trying to hard to make Ruby let go of her hands, but somewhere along the line, it seemed Ruby had gained superhuman strength or something. Her wrists felt kind of bruised and raw from all the struggling she had been doing to free herself from Ruby's grasp of Doom!

The next thing she knew there was white rose flower petals on the grass beneath her feet and there was some kind of piano music around her that for the life of her she couldn't identify. She gasped as she looked around; there were so many people around her, all of them sitting on either side of the path. Ruby was still dragging her along. She screamed for help, but all of them kept on happily smiling at her, as if her screams were lost to them. Couldn't they see her panic and fear? Why were they fucking smiling at her?

She stumbled as Ruby dragged her harder. She screamed, but it was as if no one heard, not even Granny who was right there smiling at her and sniffling into a handkerchief looking at her with tearful happiness. She saw stupid Archie the therapist in the crowd, even that scruffy Sheriff, but no one came to her help and Ruby continued to drag her along what Fiona realized with paralyzing fear was The Aisle.

Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck…This was not happening.

Ruby let out a loud very shrilly and un-Ruby-like giggle which turned Fiona's stomach to lead. The next thing she new Ruby used her super strength to fling her forwards. Fiona stumbled down, prepared to crash down on the ground in her cumbersome white dress, but finally she was free of Ruby and free to run like hell and out of there. She gasped loudly, she didn't just stumble, she fell into something and her foot got caught in something.

There was a loud click and something tightened on her ankles, sharply and tightly, just as the necklace tightened around her throat before. It was the warm, so very warm hands on the bare skin of her arms that helped her up. They felt gentle as they tugged her carefully up, finally someone was helping her.

She was just about to thank her helper as she looked up, her breath got caught in her throat and every inch of her body turned cold and fear filled her to the bone. There stood in front of her, with the ridiculously long and shiny hair, leering eyes, a twisted smirk and a thin face, Mr. Gold in a black tux standing over her proudly, chest all puffed up like a vain peacock. He was playing the part of a caring, proud and happy groom looking at his bride. Shit, more like prey not bride and this was not happening. Oh fuck this was not happening! Her feet were stuck to the ground and no matter how much she struggled and tried to run, her feet wouldn't move; hell there was something clutching her feet to the ground by her ankles, something tight, biting and painful.

Suddenly there was a voice, a woman's voice, she turned to see Mayor Mills, who smiled viciously at her and started, "My dear friends we are gathered here today to witness the union of…"

Fiona gasped loudly at those forbidding words and whimpered, "No, no, no…please god no…"

The warm calloused hands on her arms tightened their grip as he pulled her body close to his. Mr. Gold leered and whispered darkly, his accent prominent and making the Fiona shiver violently in his grasp, "Yes, dearie. It is so and now you are mine!"

Fiona was shaking her head violently and hysterically denying everything, but Mr. Gold only chuckled. He whispered with a dangerous glint in his eyes and a chilling intent in his voice that she had no desire to find out about, "Come now, wife, give me a kiss!"

Just as his face loomed closer and closer to her face she screamed really loudly, "Nooooooo!"

Then she got caught in her bed sheet and fell out of her bed and on the cold unforgiving ground and Fiona, who was gasping for breath and sweating bullets did not mind the bruise she would be getting on her ass at all. This was just the thing she needed to break out of that horrible, horrible nightmare. She just couldn't stop panting, so she laid back on the cold floor, which felt amazing on her skin, still tangled in her sheet, her body was too weak to start getting herself out of the sheet, and she stared at her ceiling.

She was so tired; she hadn't been getting much sleep for the past week. But after that bloodcurdling dream, there was no way sleep would come to her and if it did, she would do anything and everything to not return to that horrible scene ever again. She shuddered at the thought of standing on that aisle with Mr. Gold, that old letch. Even the thought of his voice made her shudder all over again.

Fuck, things were so damned confusing and all the blame lay on that stupid shady shark of a pawn broker. Him, his leery eyes and his always questionable intentions, why hell was he bugging a nice young lady like herself, she had no clue and the only clue her mind did conjure up was beyond terrifying and her nightmare was a proof of that.

She sighed, it was still dark and whatever little sleep she had intended on getting was interrupted. She curiously looked up to wall with the clock on it to see exactly how long she had actually managed to get some shut eye. She cursed again, it was four in the morning, she had managed to fall asleep not even an hour and half ago. Her body ached and she craved for some much, much needed caffeine.

She got up and made her way to the kitchen. On the way downstairs she passed a wall shelf with some photo frames on it. She stopped in midstride; one particular picture was of her and Ruby as very young teens. She glared at it and snarled at the picture. She was mad at her friend for forcing her down the aisle, however rational that line of thinking maybe. She decided on not visiting the diner for a few days until her temper cooled down. She started walking towards her kitchen again, her temper really was one of her nastiest of traits and she was woman enough to admit it. She did not intend on hurting her friend over her irrational anger over something that said friend did in her nightmare. She knew for a fact that she would be all cold and hurtful and say things to Ruby that would result in a lot of headaches and tears. She had only a few friends as it was, she didn't like people very much and Ruby was someone she did not intend on hurting let alone losing, ever.

Coffee, she needed lots and lots of coffee. Also she needed to pick up some more assignments, her brain was rotting and was coming up with horrific line of thoughts as a result of being too damned idle. That's what her brain needed. A few assignments and dealing with annoying and always complaining and never satisfied clients. She would do her best to tolerate them without snapping at them and insulting their lineage and genes, all the while designing a few pieces according to their absurd demands and specifications. Who knew, maybe she would meet a client who would simple inspire her and the design would come naturally to her.

She spent the remaining hours till dawn drinking a few more cups of coffee, going through her business emails, muttering about her evil best friend and cursing the leering old man with stupidly perfect hair.

It had been a week or so since she had last spoken to Mr. Gold, but she had seen him plenty of times around town. Always him watching her from various places and her vanishing before he could approach her, and he almost always made moves to approach her. The old man was very, very persistent, so much that it deterred her from feeling guilty about out running a limping man with a walking stick.

He was going to show up at the shop today, with payment and wanting back his items. Of course that wasn't what bothered her, no it wasn't; she was treating him like every other customer of Esmeralda's. What bothered her was the fact that he would be his usual persistent self and do whatever it took to confront her or whatever it was that he did when he talked to her. Fiona always was far too busy trying her best to not feel icky than pay attention to the drivel and innuendos that he spoke of.

Any other time she would so easily handle the leery-eyed pawn broker, but this particular nightmare had shaken her. She was off her game and she very desperately needed to get focused and get her best game face on. She couldn't, absolutely couldn't lose to someone like Gold at these petty games. No way in hell would she let him get a one up on her. She was a Steele and Steeles were made of steel, that's what her father always said to her.

If it was Caleb needing to calm his thoughts and gain focus, he would be busy punching the hell out of his punching bag and weight lifting and doing all those exercises that he did to keep his martial arts training in shape, Fiona never understood any of it but was always in awe of her foster brother. Fiona on the other hand was absolutely clueless when it came to self defense. She did not even know how to throw a punch right and she never really did see the appeal in punching someone. What if she broke a nail or hurt her hand? She had dainty hands; she couldn't possibly hurt someone without breaking her own hand or at the very least fracturing something.

So she took other means to calm her rampant thoughts. After drinking copious amounts of coffee, she started baking. Baking and cooking was her thing, something she shared with her mother. Only her mother loved to cook for her family, Fiona didn't like to cook for anyone. It felt like a chore to her, she always felt that it was a very menial task for someone like her. She was very good at cooking, her mother's lessons ensured that, but that did not mean she would cook. She only cooked Martha's off days and if Martha was sick.

Baking, she favored over cooking, since baking meant there would be desserts and she loved desserts. Again it was undeniable that there was a soothing quality to going through the step by step process of baking and right then she needed a lot of soothing for both her mind and taste buds. Only chocolate could drive away the remnants of that horrible nightmare. So she baked three relatively large chocolate fudge cakes, one for Martha to take home, one for Caleb and one for herself.

By the time she was done, Martha had arrived and it was time for her to properly start her day. Martha Farrell's soft brown eyes had widened and her lips split into a wide astonished smile accompanied by her deep dimples as she was surprised and happy to see Fiona bake, then she her smile dimmed and concern filled her as she figured that it was not a good sign. Fiona baked too much and she must have been up very, very early to bake that much. That meant that Fiona must be either missing her parents or had a terrible dream. Fiona's lack of sleep was always a concern for Martha and her terrible dreams were a somewhat common thing, so Martha always worried.

Martha, the epitome of maternal figures and the constant maternal figure in Fiona's life then cooed at her and pushed her to go get showered and make herself pretty and that she would make her Fiona a brilliant breakfast for a great start of a day. Fiona had snorted and mumbled something about horrible friends, sapphire slave collars, monster white dresses and old letches before stomping away upstairs. Martha Farrell stared after the young woman she had helped raise, she loved her for sure, but there was no denying it, she was an odd one.

After showering and having crepes for breakfast, Fiona was in a better mood than before, at least her grumbling and temper had been in much better control. She spent two more hours talking over with some clients, taking in new designs and doing some minor negotiations with them. That morning she didn't go to Granny's for her usual coffee, she went straight to her shop and closed herself off in her very private back office. She did make sure to give Caleb a call to inform him of her upcoming short trip to Boston and that he would be accompanying her.

When she was about to enter her shop, just by the corner of her eye she noticed the man plaguing her dreams standing not too far away from her, just across the street, clearly hackling some poor man for some shady deal of his. She could feel his eyes drilling into her back; she could feel her face flush with indignation.

That man had the most intrusive pair of eyes, kind of like Superman's x-ray vision, but at least Superman had the common decency to not violate someone's privacy or make anyone feel not uncomfortable. Well, she hoped Superman didn't always use his vision to look under Lois Lane's business suites. But this man, this old pervert of a man never let an opportunity slide where he could ogle her and make her feel naked, Mr. Gold did not know the meaning of the word decency let alone apply it in any case whatsoever. Damn him, damn his lack of decency and damn his stupid x-ray vision, seethed Fiona as she stalked into her shop.

That day she had spent most of her time in her office, speaking to her clients and drawing up new designs, Mr. Gem or Toby as she called him had gotten her a quick lunch, even he knew to steer clear of her. She was in one of her moods, with the constant frowns and scowls and the best option for him was to give her space and peace, so he handled the shop without bothering her even in the slightest.

Time went on and Fiona was working in her office with the fury of a formidable storm and in the shop Mr. Gem was dreading the moment Ms. Steele would have to come out of her office for whatever reason, because when she did, it wouldn't be a nice experience for which ever person makes her come out of her office. The image of a grumpy bear snarling and raging out of a dark cave came to the mind of Mr. Gem and he shivered with utter nervousness.

Mr. Gem had almost jumped when Ms. Steele had buzzed for him, he left Caleb in the shop and quickly went to his boss hoping to both avoid her mood swing and return as quickly as possible, God knew how bad Caleb was at shop-keeping. The man scared away everyone; he was extremely fierce looking and had nothing welcoming about him. There was also the matter of his extreme anti-social behavior of not talking to anyone but Ms. Steele, but regardless of all of that it was an unquestionable fact that Caleb was a brilliant guard. While Ms. Steele was the genius and talent behind the shop and he managed the shop, Caleb made sure there was ever no harm that came to the shop. Mr. Gem rather liked the silent intimidating giant of a man.

When he very cautiously entered Ms. Steele's private domain, he was even more shocked when he saw Ms. Steele. She didn't look upset at all and that made Tobias Gem both curious and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Fiona was smiling at him, and that particular smile was one that he was quite familiar with. It was her devious I-have-something-planned-that-will-mean-something-bad-for-someone-else smile. Even her eyes were glinting; yes, someone had something coming their way. Then she proceeded to give Mr. Gem a set of very specific instructions which left him feeling all sorts of jittery. She was going to make him face a dragon and he wanted to so badly whine, but he didn't. Fiona would have his back and there must be a reason for what she was making him do, so he trusted her and decided to follow the instructions without question.

Of course as soon as he left Ms. Steele's office, his palms started to sweat and all he could think about was a dragon named Mr. Gold. It was an hour later and as expected, the dragon had arrived in the shop and what scared the living daylights out of Tobias Gem was the fact that the dragon had a creepy smile plastered on his thin lips.

The first thing Tobias Gem did was gather all the guts he had in him and plastered his best customer smile on his face and welcomed the pawn broker to a different counter. He had to admit, the pawn broker might be a very odd man to look at, with his slight build, long hair, gaunt face, wrinkled face, piercing eyes, crooked teeth and gold teeth, but the man had style. He always dressed smartly and expensively. He even had his limp working in his favor; the way he walked and carried himself, even his cane worked for him.

Tobias very swiftly brought out the customer's pieces on the counter for inspection and provided a very detailed explanation as to what was done to them, the process, the materials used and the cost of everything. Throughout the explanation he noticed that Mr. Gold's eyes didn't stick to the pieces before him. His eyes wandered around the shop, searching for a specific something and Tobias Gem knew exactly what he was searching for. To be exact it would be a-whom and not a-what.

Just when Tobias was glad that he wasn't going to ask about her, Mr. Gold asked point blank and made Tobias nervous all over, "Where is Miss Steele, Mr. Gem? I would like to talk business with her instead."

Tobias' palms were sweating and he felt all sorts of quivery inside as he looked into the predatory eyes of the town's very own devil. Still with a huge amount of courage he faced this dragon, calmly and politely he replied, "I am afraid that Ms. Steele is a very busy woman and she had things she had to attend to today, Mr. Gold."

Mr. Gold kept his eyes on the man before him, both of them knew that busy or not, Fiona Steele did not want to attend to the pawn broker, so she didn't. Tobias Gem was merely being polite to a paying customer and again, to Ms. Steele it did not matter whether or not Mr. Gold brought business to the shop. Finally after a few more tense moments Mr. Gold merely uttered, "Is that so?"

Tobias still felt a little condescension leak into that rhetorical question. Tobias nodded and then smiled once more and stated informatively, slipping in a little concern, "Speaking of talking business, Mr. Gold. It's about a particular piece of yours, the Victorian gold choker with the sapphires to be precise."

If it was anybody else, he would have been curious but Tobias was unnerved to see Mr. Gold's reaction. He gave Tobias a grin that Tobias could only describe as a shark's grin, as if Tobias had walked into one of his well set trap; he asked gleefully, "What about it, Mr. Gem?"

Tobias after that did not look into Mr. Gold's eyes, the sheer look of maniacal glee make his blood run cold; he replied politely, "We have a customer who likes pieces like that and if you would like we could arrange for it to be purchased. You shall be offered a good price of course. It could be a very beneficial deal for you, Mr. Gold."

The way Mr. Gold kept his eyes on Tobias, he felt like a mice staring into the eyes of a hungry snake. Tobias barely held in his shudder and waited uncomfortably for the pawn broker's answer. Mr. Gold sneered, "And I suppose this beneficial deal you speak of has nothing to do with the hefty finder's fee you would receive, now would it?"

Tobias hid his awe of Ms. Steele's accurate plan and prediction very tightly behind his shocked face and offended gasp. Tobias replied tartly, "Why, Mr. Gold! You offend this establishment, Ms. Steele and myself with such a statement. The necklace does not belong to Esmeralda's and it is a unique piece. We merely are pointing you out to a potential interested party and that is all."

Mr. Gold looked if possible even more intensely into Tobias Gem's face and cocked his head lightly to the side as he processed the words spouting out of the affronted man's mouth. Something was amiss and Mr. Gold knew it very well. This was Fiona he was dealing with and he knew that with Fiona things were never that simple. Fiona was most definitely behind this so-called beneficial deal and if she was then there was something complicated going on behind this. But what was his girl's clever little ruse? He was both curious and wickedly tittering with the excitement and anticipation.

Mr. Gold swept his eyes quickly around the shop and suddenly a possibility hit him. This potential interested party, which Tobias as of yet hadn't given him any information about and was keeping things under wraps. He remembered very well of Miss Fiona Steele's interest in jewelry, mostly in the designs and the choker was a very unique design. The possibility of this buyer being her was astoundingly large and that very well explained her missing status. She was hiding away behind the shadows and puppeteer-ing a deal.

A very devilish and downright hedonist side of Mr. Gold whispered possessively of dark, desirous and domineering thoughts and visions in Mr. Gold's mind, about exactly how that beautiful choker could be used on his Fiona's long pale neck. There was the darkest smirk curled up on the pawn broker's thin lips as visions of the gold and sapphires choker wrapped around his very naked Miss Fiona's pale neck.

Suddenly everything made sense, Miss Fiona wanted this pretty little trinket and if she did want it as bad as it seemed then she must deal with him as it were. Not that he would ever deny his Fiona any of her heart's desires, but this was the matter of his desires subjecting her, so he had to-nay-he needed to deny her this once to reel her in; much like a fish and the bait being this pretty gold Victorian choker.

Mr. Gold, very slyly countered, "Very well then, Mr. Gem! Call out Miss Steele and we shall see how beneficial her price for my item is exactly."

Mr. Gold expected Tobias Gem to turn red and start flustering in the most undignified manner because the entire ruse was unfolded, Tobias threw Mr. Gold completely off. He looked downright confused as he asked in befuddlement, "Why on earth would I disturb Miss Steele when she is busy designing away? I am sorry Mr. Gold, but I have the details right here and I don't see why we should interrupt her when she is on her cloud of creativity."

The way Mr. Gold's eyes narrowed dangerously, anyone in Storybrooke would know that this was the infamous look of foreboding doom that one received from the pawn broker just before he was about to send you a notice of eviction if not a notice informing you of the raise in rent. Tobias was no exception and like every other resident of Storybrooke, Mr. Gold's glare made him more than a bit defensive, but again this was according to Miss Steele's prediction.

Mr. Gold seethed, "Cloud of creativity?"

Tobias nodded his head enthusiastically and explained quickly before his nerves gave out, "Yes, cloud of creativity. Miss Steele calls it that when she is on a roll with her designs and is almost manically drawing pages after pages and she gets very, very agitated when disturbed. Our Miss Steele is very talented so she has her fair share of eccentricities like every talented artist does. So, you see Mr. Gold, I cannot disturb her right now."

While Mr. Gold did agree with him, both about her being eccentric and talented, what he didn't agree on was the part about her currently being on a cloud of creativity. If nothing else he knew his Fiona was a devious and cunning thing, well, at least that was how she was in the other world; one of the things he loved about his Fiona. So he just knew that this was a part of the ruse and Fiona was actually sitting somewhere quietly and gleefully waiting for him to step into her little trap and after the deal was done and all, she would turn up gloating.

She knew that he had used his jewelry pieces as baits for her to start conversations with him, so she had ignored him and his attempts completely. But they were great pieces, so she was going turn it on him by owning the pieces, wearing them in public and snubbing him by getting them from him without so much as speaking a word to him. How clever of her!

So with the utmost arrogance and more than a little menace in his voice and eyes, just to intimidate the heck out the nervous employee of his Fiona, he sneered, "Your employer, Miss Steele will speak with me if she wants the necklace and if not that I am afraid it is a no-deal, for me!"

Of course, Mr. Gold had turned the tables and had everything perfectly under his control and he was so sure he would taste the sweet victory over his Miss Steele, only that all of these facts came crashing down by Tobias Gem's one very flustered statement, "Mr. Gold, I think you misunderstood something. Ms. Steele does not want any of your pieces and certainly not the choker. I have the details of the buyer right here if you are interested. It's a Mrs. Leighton from Boston who would be interested in the choker, she has tastes that run along that choker's design and timeline. Being one of our regular customers, we thought she might like it and I will inform her if you are interested in selling. So you see Mr. Gold all you need to do is tell me if you want me to call Mrs. Leighton."

For the longest and the tensest of seconds a very uncomfortable silence rang between Mr. Gem and Mr. Gold. Things would have been much more comfortable between them if say, Mr. Gem had poured ink over Mr. Gold's shiny hair by accident. But pulling the rug from underneath Mr. Gold well planned plot well that indeed caused all sorts of fires to fly up around Mr. Gold. He fumed within himself and was furiously working out exactly what that impertinent girl's plan really was!

Or was it just a non-existent ruse of her's to simply make him run along a merry chase (mentally, that is) and it would all be for nothing? Well, it was something the Fiona from the other world would most certainly do. In fact, it was something he himself would enjoy doing to someone else.

He seethed in fury, so it really was just a simple transaction and most probably a deal that Mr. Gem was setting up and Fiona didn't even have anything to do with. She simply kept herself out of the way and let him make assumptions. He watched the nervous man waiting on his answer with cold eyes, it was a simple and profitable deal and that was all. How infuriating, but profitable!

So all Mr. Gold did was give a sharp nod and said enigmatically, "Very well, Mr. Gem. Make contact with this Mrs. Leighton, but be very specific that I will do the talking later as well as naming the price."

Mr. Gold gritted his teeth when he saw Mr. Gem smile brilliantly at him and jump up in action. A few minutes later when the pawn broker left with an Esmeralda's bag dangling from his free hand, the innocent by-passers on the streets gave him a wide berth because of the frighteningly hard look on his withered face.

Elsewhere, in her very comfortable chair, a raven haired young woman was smiling like a loon as Mr. Gem gave her the exact descriptions of Mr. Gold's face with his quotes word for word. Apparently, everything went according to her plan and she couldn't wait to see his face when she unfolded her last card.


End file.
